Misunderstood
by Awesome Rapidash
Summary: Ryuu and Christy are married and Jack and Hikari contemplate the future of the farm.
1. Disappearing Rival

_This story is based on the DS version of the Harvest Moon series. In the game the Witch Princess is one of the eligible bachelorettes. I have yet to see a story in the HM Fandom were she is the main character. So without further ado, I present this story for you enjoyment! _

_As always, I don't own Harvest Moon. Natsume does. _

_**Misunderstood**_

_**Chapter 1: Disappearing Rival**_

For the past 100 years or so there has existed a sort of rivalry between the Witch Princess and the Harvest Goddess. This rivalry continues to this day right here in Forget Me Not Valley.

Two powerful beings square off on the beach outside of Forget Me Not Valley. The first is a green haired woman clad in a flowing bluegreen dress. The second has long blonde hair loosely hanging down past her waist. She is wearing a purple dress and a black shawl.

Several bright flashes blaze across the sand as the two launch spells at each other. After a short while it appears that things have ended in a stalemate. Both look at each other and after turning their backs on each other disappear.

Hikari, Princess of the Hychi witch clan stands at the edge of the Goddess pond in Forget Me Not Valley. A gentle spring breeze blows through her long sandy blonde hair and her piercing red eyes are fixed angrily on the shimmering pool of water in front of her.

"Why does she have to be so perfect?" Hikari states loudly. "I mean she's always "poofing" in and saying tadaaaa…, here I am! It's so annoying!"

"I know, the next time she shows up I'll cast a spell that will prevent her from saying tadaaaa." She says as an evil grin crosses her face.

Hikari laughs at her plan when suddenly she feels a disturbance in the air around her.

"Who's there?" The witch asks curiously. "Come on out and show yourself."

There is a momentary flash of bluish green light followed by a cheery voice.

"Tadaaaa, here I am!" Rin, the Goddess of the Harvest announces happily.

"Argh, it's you!" Hikari says in an annoyed tone. "Why do you always have to be so flashy?"

"Oh Hikari, you're here too." Rin giggles. "How nice it is to see you again."

"Well it's not nice to see you." Hikari retorts loudly.

"Oh come now, are you still mad because I bested you in our last meeting?" The Goddess questions her rival curiously.

"It's not that, besides our last meeting ended in a tie anyway." The witch replies. "It's just that you're always messing up my fun."

"Well if you call killing crops and allowing weeds to grow everywhere fun, then yes I will prevent you from taking part in such activities." Rin says plainly.

"Ha, I'll fix you!" Hikari says as she begins to chant. "_Sei still, bis ich Dir anderen sage!"_ She says before clapping her hands.

A momentary flash of blinding orange light temporarily obscures everyone's vision. As their sight returns a shocking discovery is made. It seems that instead of cursing her voice Hikari has turned the Harvest Goddess to stone!

"Oops, I guess I used the wrong spell." Hikari begins, embarrassed at her mistake. "I didn't mean to petrify her."

"Let me try again." She says as she once again begins to chant. _"Taue Deinen gefroren Koerper auf, werde wieder lebendig!"_ She chants and once again claps her hands.

A second blinding orange flash lights up the area. As it dissipates it is quickly evident that Hikari has once again used the wrong spell.

"Oops, I used the wrong spell again." The witch says as she and the harvest sprites stare at the spot where the Goddess once stood.

"What have you done with Goddess Rin?" A large sprite dressed in red demands angrily.

Hikari knows this sprite all to well. "Quiet Red Ribbon, I didn't mean to make her disappear!" She shouts in her defense.

"Bring her back now!" The sprites shouted in an almost unison voice.

"Hmm…, I wonder what happened." Hikari ponders curiously. "What should I do now?"

"Bring her back to us of course!" Red Ribbon interjects, sounding quiet upset by this point.

"But I really have no Idea where she's gone to." Hikari replies sheepishly.

"What!" The red sprite shouts. "It was your spell that sent her away, and now you say that you don't know where you sent her or how to get her back?"

"Well do you guys have any ideas on how to get her back?" Hikari questions sarcastically.

"Us, it was your spell!" He retorts angrily. "You made her disappear; now give her back to us!"

"Hey, I have a suggestion." A smaller sprite clad in blue chimes in. "We really don't have the time for arguments right now."

Both Red Ribbon and Hikari turn and look to the sprite.

"What are you suggesting we do Paige?" Red Ribbon asks the sprite curiously.

"Let's go rescue her ourselves." He replies cheerfully. "I think that she must have gone to another world by traveling through the spring."

"You're right!" Hikari says with a smile. "I must have accidentally sent her to another world."

"Well that's all well and good." The red sprite replies. "But just what do you propose we do now?"

"Yes, as Harvest sprites we can't travel through the spring to find her." Paige agrees sadly.

"Hmm…, this is a problem." The witch begins. "You can't go and neither can I."

"Really, why can't you go?" A sprite dressed in orange asks Hikari curiously.

"I, I just can't." Hikari stammers.

"But why can't you?" The small orange sprite questions again.

"Because I said so, that's why!" Hikari answers loudly.

Hikari pauses for a moment. "Hmm…, with her gone my life will become boring." She says out loud. "Alright, I'm going to send all 101 of you to find her."

"What, you can't be serious!" Red Ribbon protests loudly.

"Oh, I most certainly am." The blonde haired woman replies. _"Schicke alle 101 Ernte Harvest Sprites zur Dimension in die Goettin ging."_ She chants.

The sprites look on horrified as she claps her hands and launches the spell.

A third bright orange flash illuminates the area around the pond. This time when it disappears a lone figure with long sandy blonde hair stands next to the shimmering pool.

"Well that should have done it." Hikari says happily. "Hmm…, I wonder if all 101 of them made it." She muses curiously.

As Hikari turns to walk away she spots Jack. The farmer has been watching the events from the trees.

"Hey Jack, you came at the right time." The blonde haired girl begins. "You saw what happened didn't you?"

"Yeah, I saw the whole thing." The farmer replies. "Where did you send the Goddess and the Harvest Sprites?"

"Well, I'm not quiet sure where I sent the Goddess, so I sent the sprites to look for her." Hikari answers plainly. "They're going to need your help to bring them back to our world."

"My help, what are you talking about?" Jack asks sarcastically. "It's your problem not mine!"

"Argh, you know what I mean!" Hikari shoots back. "I sent them, but I can't bring them back without your help."

"But what can I do?" Jack questions intently. "I have no magical powers."

"You can bring them back with hard work, also by achieving certain goals." The witch begins explaining. "A good example is shipping so many items of a certain product."

The farmer just looks at her with a confused expression on his face.

"You'll have to work hard, if you want to bring them all back." Hikari adds plainly. "You're the only one who can do this." She insists intently.

"And what if I don't do it?" Jack muses curiously. "I mean, you were the one who sent them away."

Hikari walks up to the farmer and looks him directly in the eyes. "For starters, if the Goddess isn't returned my life will become dreadfully boring."

"It still sounds like a problem that affects only you." He replies directly.

"Well, without the Goddesses presence in the valley you will not be able to get married nor have children. Additionally the overall health of the environment will suffer and eventually all plant life will die. This includes your farm."

The stark reality of the situation hits him like a ton of bricks. "I guess I have no other choice but to help you." He answers.

"Good, then don't just stand there, get to work!" Hikari says with a laugh. "Grow crops and raise animals, and maybe even find yourself a girlfriend. All these things will bring you closer to achieving your goal."

Jack just stands there thinking about the situation he now finds himself in.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." The witch says. "Stop by the Harvest Sprites home before you head home."

Lost in thought Jack ignores Hikari's instructions.

"Hey, did you hear me?" She questions loudly. I'm telling you to go to the Harvest Sprites house. Now let's go and get you started."

Jack follows the blonde haired girl over to the base of a large tree a short distance from the pond. She points to a small door. "Now go inside!" She commands.

"Umm…, I'm not sure about this." He stammers.

Her last bit of patience now exhausted she moves behind the farmer and shoves him forward. He hits the door hard and it opens swallowing the young farmer into the darkness beyond.

The blonde haired Princess waits impatiently for the framer to come back out. He finally re-emerges and she walks over to him. _"Flige forte!"_ She chants and claps her hands.

A bright green flash completely envelopes the witch and the farmer, obscuring Jack's vision temporarily.

When his vision finally returns he discovers that the witch as transported them to his farm.

Hikari looks over at the farmer. "Alright work hard now." She begins. "I'll be thinking of you." She adds sweetly. "Heehee, see I even brought you home, isn't that thoughtful of me."

Jack watches as the girl chants a quick spell and disappears.

Once back at her home Hikari begins to look over her books trying to find out where her spell may have sent the Goddess. As she does she thinks about Jack. _"Hmm…, he is sorta cute, for a mortal that is." _

_Alright, the first chapter of this story is done! Please take a moment and write a review and let me know what you think of it. Thanks! _


	2. Friends and Enemies

_Thanks to my reviewers: __**Momo-chan12, Ilko Skevuld, roxas-kh, 1angelette, Libra1, gothangel12345, **__and __**PolkadottedPony.**_

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Harvest Moon, Natsume does._

_**Chapter 2: Friends and Enemies **_

Hikari walked out of her house and looked over to Madame Romana's villa. "I wonder what it's like to live in such a house." She mused to herself before continuing on. "Just once I'd like to at least see what it looks like inside."

She took great pains to avoid walking through the center of town. After what had happened with Rin, she was less than popular in the eyes of its residents. Finally she reached Jack's farm and was pleased to see the young farmer hard at work.

"Hi Jack, I'm glad to see you're working hard." She says to the farmer as she walks up to him.

Jack looks up at the blonde haired girl standing in front of him. "I don't really have a choice now do I." He says sarcastically. "After all, I wouldn't want your life to get boring or anything like that."

Hikari looks at him with a hurt expression on her face. "I do appreciate your efforts though." She begins. "As a way of showing my thanks I'll cast a spell to increase your stamina level."

The farmer jumps up and looks at the Witch. Thoughts of him being zapped to who knows were dash through his mind. "I, umm…, I really don't need one of your spells to help me. I'm doing fine on my own."

"Aw, come now there's nothing to be afraid of." Hikari replies playfully.

"I said I don't need any of your help!" Jack says sternly. "Now I need to get back to my work so please excuse me."

Hikari watches sadly as the farmer walks over to the barn and goes inside. _"I wonder why he is so angry with me."_ She ponders to herself before chanting a quick spell and disappearing.

Jack peeks around the corner of the barns door and is relived to see the Witch gone.

He walks back over to the spot he was working on before the Witch arrived. As he starts to work something occurs to him. "Maybe I was a little bit impolite to her; after all she was just trying to be helpful." He finishes up with his chores and decides to head over to her home and apologize for his rude behavior.

Before heading there he takes a slight detour to the fields next to Daryl's lab. There he finds several red grass plants and using care not to let the plants touch his skin picks them. As he does this he hears a voice behind him, recognizing it almost immediately as that of Celia.

"Good afternoon Jack." She says, walking over to him.

"Hi Celia, how are you today?" Jack greets her happily.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking." The brown haired girl answers in a cheery voice.

Jack returns his attention to the plants in front of him. Celia takes notice of what he is doing and a curious look appears on her face. "Why are you picking red grass, don't you know that it's poisonous?" She questions curiously.

"Yeah, I know its poison." The farmer answers plainly. "I was picking it for someone." He adds, not really wanting to give details.

"You're gathering it for someone?" The brown haired girl asks again. "The only person I know who likes this is the Witch."

"There are other people besides the Witch who use it for special proposes." Jack says impatiently.

"Well, if you say so." Celia replies with a smile. "I'll see you later then." She adds before continuing on her way.

Jack breathes a sigh of relief and after picking a few more plants he continues on his way. He arrives at Romana's villa 10 minutes later. As he walks up the stairs towards the massive mansion he hears a woman's voice chanting. Curious he follows the sound until he finds the source. It appears to be coming from a small plain house in the corner of the estate.

"That sounds like the Witches voice." He says softly. "I guess this is where she lives."

Jack walks up to the door and knocks on it. When no one answers, he opens it and walks inside. He finds the Witches house consists of a single room with a large black iron cauldron hanging in the center. A strangely appealing aroma fills his nose. Jack takes a look around the small room.

On his left and sees a neatly made bed and a large table with books spread out over it. To his right he sees two large clay kettles that appear to be used to store food. A little further into the room he sees another table and more books. Along the back wall of the room there was what appeared to be a large bookcase.

It's there that he finds the Witch. She is pacing back and forth and speaking out loud. The farmer listens as the blonde haired girl rants about how all she wanted to do was cause some mischief for the Goddess, not send her away.

"Why does she have to be sensitive about everything?" She shouts loudly. "She drives me crazy!"

Noticing that she has a guest Hikari stops her rant and looks over at Jack, who is still standing near the doorway. "Don't you think that Rin is way too sensitive?" She asks intently.

Jack thinks about it for a few moments and come to think of it the Goddess did have a tendency to overreact to things. "Yeah, you know what I do agree with you, she is way too sensitive about stuff."

Hikari smiles and walks over to him. "I'm happy that at least someone agrees with me. Please, come inside."

Jack walks into the room and around the large kettle in the center of the room.

Hikari looks at him, her piercing red eyes studying him carefully. "May I ask why have you come here?" She asks curiously.

Jack takes his backpack off and reaches inside. He pulls out the red grass and hands it to Hikari.

Hikari looks at him curiously. "Are you giving this to me?" She asks, taking the plants from him.

"Yes. I kinda felt bad about brushing you off earlier." Jack replies softly. "So I thought I'd sorta..., you know..., make it up to you."

"I really like these you know, thanks Jack." Hikari says happily.

"You're welcome, uh, umm…" Jack stops in mid sentence when he realizes that he doesn't even know her name. "I'm sorry but I don't know your name." He adds sounding somewhat embarrassed. "What is your name?"

The witch doesn't immediately answer. Instead she looks away from him.

"Did I ask something inappropriate?" He asks in a worried voice.

"No, it's just that my name may seem a little strange to you and. well..., it's sorta embarrassing." Hikari replies softly.

"Why would it seem strange?" Jack questions. "Is it some really hard to pronounce witch name or something?"

"No, actually it's quite easy to say." She replies. After pausing for a moment she continues. "My name is Hikari, and it means 'light' in my native language." She explains.

"That's a nice name; it's not funny at all." Jack says truthfully.

"Thank you, Jack. But don't you think that giving someone like me a name with such a positive meaning is sorta odd?" Hikari questions curiously.

"Not really, maybe your Mom just liked the name." Jack replies. "Anyway, I have to get back to my farm. Maybe I'll drop by again tomorrow."

Hikari waves as the farmer walks out the door. Once he's gone she goes back to studying her books.

Jack begins his trek back to his farm when he hears a voice calling him from behind. He recognizes it as that of Madame Romana's butler.

"Hey Jack did I just see you come out of the Witch Princesses house?" Sebastian asks curiously.

"Yeah, I gave her some red grass." The farmer replies. "Why did you call her a Princess?"

"It's because, she's the Princess of her clan that's why." He replies plainly. "You should stay well away from her, she's a dangerous person." He adds sternly.

"I don't think she's dangerous." Jack replies to the elder man. "She just made a mistake when she sent Goddess Rin away."

"She's trouble I'm telling you, now stay away from her!" He shouts angrily before turning and walking back up the stairs towards the villa.

"So Hikari's a Princess eh. I'll have to ask her about that the next time I see her." Jack says to himself as he heads back towards his farm.

_Alright, so Jack has begun the process of returning the Harvest Sprites and eventually the Goddess. He has also begun to befriend Witch Princess Hikari, much to the displeasure of the residents of Forget Me Not Valley. I hope you like the story so far. Please take a moment to leave me a review. Thanks! _


	3. Moving Forward

_A big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! __**Lupi Loop, Moonlit Dreaming, 1angelette, roxas-kh, gothangel12345, Momo-chan12, **__and __**The Scarlet Sky. **__Thanks for taking the time to tell me what you think! _

_Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this every time? Oh well, I don't own Harvest Moon, Natsume does. _

_**Chapter 3: Moving Forward**_

Hikari looked at the red grass that Jack had given her lying on the table. A smile crosses her face as she picks it up and puts it in a container.

"_He gave these to me as an apology."_ She ponders to herself. _"No one ever did something like that for me before." _

She returns to the book she was reading before Jack had visited. As she does she wonders what Jack is up to.

On the other side of the valley Jack is getting ready to feed his chickens when a girl's voice grabs his attention. Looking up he sees Celia walking towards him.

"Hi Celia, what brings you here?" The farmer asks curiously.

Celia walks over to him and eyes the young farmer curiously. "Well, I heard from Lumina that you had visited the Witch Princess and I wanted to know if it was true." The brown haired girl asks politely.

"So what if I did." Jack retorts, trying to control his anger. "She's not as bad as everyone seems to make her."

"Hey, I wasn't trying to be critical of you." Celia quickly replies "I just wanted to know that's all."

"Sorry." Jack says apologetically. "It's just that most people seem to dislike the fact that associate with her."

"Yes I know what you mean, but don't think that everyone believes that." Celia says as she looks at the young farmer. "I for one think that it's nice of you to help her."

"Thanks." Jack replies happily. "At least I know I have one ally in the village."

"I'm sure that there are others too, you just need to find them." Celia adds with a smile. "Well I need to get back, Vesta's gonna wonder where I go off to. Bye Jack!"

Jack waves as he watches the pretty girl walk towards the gate of his farm.

What he doesn't know is that a certain blonde haired girl is watching him. A grin appears on her face as she silently chants a spell.

From seemingly out of nowhere a bucket of ice cold water pours down on him.

"Ahhh…, what the hell was that?" Jack shouts loudly. Laughter catches his attention and he looks over in the direction of the barn. "Hikari, was that you who did this?" He asks curiously.

The Witch steps out from behind the barn with a huge smile on her face. "Ha, you should have seen the expression on your face when that water hit you." She laughs as she walks over to the wet farmer.

"Yeah, funny I'm sure." Jack replies sarcastically. "But now I'm soaking wet."

"I'll fix that." Hikari begins_. "Trockne jetzt!"_ She chants and claps her hands.

There is a brief flash of bluish green light and the next thing Jack knows is he is completely dry.

"T, thanks Hikari." He says in a slightly relived voice. "Hey while you're here I had a question for you."

"What's up?" Hikari asks curiously.

"The other day when I was leaving your house Sebastian stopped me." He begins, pausing as Hikari rolls her eyes at the mention of Sebastian's name. "He said that you're a Princess, is that true?"

Hikari looks directly at him with her piercing red eyes. "So what if it is." She replies simply. "But yes, it is true. I'm the Princess of my clan." She adds softly.

"So where is the rest of your clan at?" Jack asks curiously. "Are they near here?"

Hikari doesn't say anything; she just turns and looks away from the farmer.

"Is something wrong?" He asks in a concerned voice. A moment later he hears the girl begin to softly cry. "Hikari, what's wrong?" He asks again, this time though he moves around and faces the witch.

"I'm the last one of my clan." She answers softly. "Everyone else was killed by some sort of epidemic. I was outside the village and escaped it." She explains solemnly. "Even my Mom, who was one of the strongest Priestesses of our clan, was no match for its devastating effect."

"I'm so sorry." Jack says sadly. "I would have never asked had I known it was so painful."

"It's alright." Hikari says plainly. "At least now you know the truth."

"Thank you for telling me." Jack adds and without thinking much about it embraces the startled Witch in a reassuring hug.

He is a little surprised as well once he realizes what he is doing. Hikari doesn't seem to mind though, as she wraps her arms around the farmer and returns the hug. They separate a moment later, both blushing furiously.

"Ahhh…, umm.., sorry about that, I don't know what came over me." Jack says in a slightly embarrassed tone.

"Don't worry about it." Hikari says in an upbeat voice. "I appreciate the compassion you showed me."

Jack returns his attention to his chickens, as he does Hikari joins him.

"You know, before all this happened I would probably just have made all your birds sick, just for a gag." She begins. "But then Rin would have shown up and 'poofed' them right back to perfect health. Humph, she was always ruining my fun!"

"Then wouldn't you be happier if she stayed gone?" Jack questions as he spreads feed out for his chickens. "Then there'd be no one to stop your mischief."

"I suppose at first it might be fun, but then since there would be no one to challenge me it would become boring." The Witch explains curtly. "That's why you need to get her and those annoying harvest sprites back."

"I'm working on it." Jack begins. "I've already managed to return 6 of them."

"That's not many, but it's a start I guess." Hikari replies. "Well I've got to go, keep up the good work. I'll see you around." She adds before chanting a quick spell and disappearing.

Jack finishes up with his chickens and heads over to his barn. He walks inside and sits down next to his cow, Bessie to milk her.

"That sucks that all of Hikari's clan was wiped out." He says to Bessie as though the black and white animal was going to reply.

Bessie simply moos contently as the milking machine runs. Jack looks up at her and smiles. "Yeah, I guess you don't have much of an opinion anyway."

It takes him the remainder of the day to finish his chores, and after a quick dinner the young farmer heads over to the Blue Bar for some relaxing refreshment.

"Hi Jack!" Muffy greets cheerfully as he walks in the door. She shows him over to an empty table and he sits down. "What can I get you tonight?" The bubbly blonde barmaid asks curiously.

"I'll have a beer." The farmer answers happily. "Can I have an order of nachos too?"

Muffy gives him her trademark smile. "Of course you can!" She says merrily. "I'll get those right away."

It takes Muffy all of 5 minutes to return with his beer and a large bowl of nachos. She eyes the young man curiously. "Mind if I join you?" She asks hopefully.

"Not at all, please have a seat." Jack replies happily. "Slow evening tonight?" He questions as Muffy tales a seat next to him.

"Yeah, it's just Carter and Marlin so I can sorta relax a bit." She replies with a little giggle.

For the next hour Jack and Muffy sit and talk. They share stories about their lives back in the city and how they ended up in the valley. Their conversation is interrupted by a drunken Marlin.

"Hey Jack, you're going to cures us all by hanging around with that witch!" He slurs loudly. "She's evil you know!"

"She is not!" Jack says defensively as he stands to face Marlin.

"Of course she is, she's a witch after all." He adds in his slurred voice. "It was her fault that the Harvest Goddess disappeared. Now our crops are growing poorly as result."

"That's not true!" Jack says, trying to suppress his anger. "The crops are growing slowly because it hasn't rained for two weeks."

"It hasn't rained for two weeks because the Goddess is missing." Marlin retorts loudly.

Both men look as though their about to go to blows when Griffin steps in between them.

"Alright that's enough out of both of you." He says as he pushes Jack and Marlin apart. "Marlin, you've had enough, you should head home now." He adds, directing him towards the door.

Marlin grumbles a protest but complies with the barkeepers request and walks out.

Griffin returns to Jack, who has sat back down at the table. He sits down across from the farmer and looks at him intently.

"You know Jack; some folks here in the valley really do blame the Witch for all that goes wrong." He says plainly. "I myself don't believe in such nonsense; however it may be wise for you to avoid contact with her at least until the Goddess is returned."

"But it isn't fair that Jack gets criticized for wanting to be her friend." Muffy chimes in. "After all everyone needs a friend." She adds in her cheerful bubbly voice.

"Thanks for the advice." Jack says as he gets up. "I'll think about what you said." He adds just before he walks out the door. "Good night."

Griffin and Muffy wave as he disappears out the door.

On his way back to the farm Jack thinks about what Marlin said. _"I just know that she's not as bad as people say."_ He muses to himself.

Once back at his farm he checks on his animals and heads inside.

"Man I'm bushed." He says to his pet cat Mayaa as he gets ready for bed. She meows sweetly as she joins her owner in the bed.

As Jack settles down to sleep he hopes that the upcoming days will go better.

…_and cut! Scene, take lunch! Yay, the next chapter is done! I hope you like it even though it may seem a bit slow right now I'm just getting things set up for the upcoming chapters. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks a ton! _


	4. Conflicts

_Many thanks go to __**Libra1, lupi loop, 1angelette, The Scarlet Sky, Momo-chan12, gothangel12345, Moonlit Dreaming, Peach the Hedgehog, **__and__** cresentbellflower **__for the kind reviews of the previous chapter. I really love to hear what you have to say! _

_Sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter posted. However after several bouts of writers block and numerous summertime distractions I finally got it done! I hope it was worth the wait. _

_**A/N: **__After several of my reviewers pointed out to me that there were some small errors within this chapter so I asked my friend __**Saki Hanajima-chan **__to __beta it. Please accept my apologies for having posted before having the chapter proofread. Rapid-chan 8/5/07 _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon and probably never will. _

_**Chapter 4: Conflicts**_

Hikari sat in her home lost in thought. What was to become of her friendship with Jack once Rin and her annoying sprites were finally returned? Would the annoying Goddess force her to leave once she returned? The blonde haired Witch rubbed her temple gently as she felt a headache coming on.

Getting up she walked over to a shelf and removed a small vial containing a potion to cure headaches. _"I hope this stuff works."_ She mused to herself as she emptied the vial's contents into her hand. She gave the brown powdery substance a quick glance before putting it in her mouth and swallowing. A grimace crossed her face and she quickly moved over to the sink and filled a glass with water. She drank it hoping that it would reduce the acidic taste left by the headache remedy.

After returning the glass to the shelf from which it came from Hikari walked over to the large bookshelf at the rear of her house. There she removed a thick brown book. She was about to sit down and read when there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" She said out loud as she walked towards the door.

Hikari opened the door and found Sebastian and Marlin standing outside. "What do you two want? She asked plainly.

"We came to tell you to stop associating with the new farmer." Marlin piped up. "You're evil and it's causing us to have problems with our crops." He added sarcastically.

Hikari rolled her crimson eyes wearily. "I have nothing to do with you poor crops." She began. "It hasn't rained for a while and that's what the problem is."

"Then make it rain!" Sebastian demanded loudly.

"I can't do that." Hikari replied. "I have no control over the weather."

"You're a witch. Surely you have some sort of spell that you can cast." Marlin questioned curiously.

"Now that's really ironic." The blonde haired witch began. "One minute you're accusing me of killing your crops and the next you're asking me to save them."

"See Marlin I told you there was no point in coming to see her." Sebastian began. "She is an evil person I tell you!" He added, pointing an accusing finger at Hikari.

"Ha, then just leave me alone, go away and don't come back!" Hikari replied before slamming the door in their faces.

Outside the hut Marlin looked at Sebastian. "We should ask Madame Romana to have her removed from the grounds of the mansion."

"That will not happen." Sebastian sighed softly. "I've asked her about it before and was told by Madame Romana that she will not evict her. I'm unsure of exactly why though."

Both men continued on dejectedly, heading towards the Blue Bar to drown their sorrows.

Back inside her house, Hikari had returned to the spell book she'd started to read before the interruption.

On the other side of the valley, Jack had just finished tending his animals and headed inside to make himself dinner.

Looking over the items in his cupboard, he decided on making himself a curry. He took the ingredients out and began to prepare the dish. As he did, an enticing aroma began to fill the air.

Hikari pushed the spell book away and sat in her house bored.

"_Hmm…, I wonder what Jack is up to." _She pondered curiously.

Walking over to her caldron, she chanted a quick spell causing a small portal to appear in the center. With this she was able to peer into the farmer's life without his knowledge.

"Well it looks like its dinner time." She chuckled softly. "I think I'll drop in for a visit." She added before reciting a quick spell. Clapping her hands, she vanished in a bluish green flash.

Jack was almost done cooking when he saw what looked like a flash of lighting outside his window. But the farmer knew that it wasn't the result of an approaching storm but the arrival of someone special.

A moment later Hikari walked thought the door and into Jack's small farmhouse. A smile lit up her face as she took notice of the wondrous aroma that filled the room.

"Mmmm…, is that curry I smell?" She asked curiously. A hungry look lit up her face as she walked over to the kitchen area.

"Yep, do you like curry?" Jack asked happily.

"Yes I do, may I have some?" Hikari questioned hopefully.

"Sure, but I'm not a real good cook so it may not be that good." Jack replied in a quiet voice.

"I'll be the judge of that." Hikari said as she sits down at the table.

Jack finished the meal and separated it into two portions. He then placed one plate in front of the blonde haired witch and on opposite her for himself. Sitting down, the farmer watched nervously as Hikari began to eat.

"Hmm…, I've had worse." She finally said. "It's actually pretty good." She added much to Jack's relief.

After dinner Jack got up and cleared the dishes from the table. After putting them in the sink, he returned the table and sat back down. He looked over at Hikari, who was busy petting his cat Rena.

Jack chuckled as he watched the witch coo over the orange tabby. "I guess the rumors about witches and cats are true."

Hikari looked up and smiled. "I guess it is." She replied plainly. "Do you believe all the rumors you here?" She asked curiously.

"No, I usually want to find the truth about things before I believe them." Jack answered smartly.

"I'm glad to hear that." Hikari said as she looked at the brown haired farmer sitting across from her. _"What are these feelings I feel when I'm around him?"_ She wondered curiously.

"Hey lets go for a walk?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Umm…, I guess so." Hikari replied in a less than enthusiastic voice. "I really don't like to be out in the public that much."

"Well, it's already dark outside so maybe there won't be that many people around." The farmer said hoping to encourage Hikari to walk with him.

"Yeah OK, but just a short one alright?" Hikari finally said, much to Jack's delight.

Jack got up and followed Hikari to the door, opening it he allowed the blonde haired witch to walk out first.

They took a quick stroll up to the Goddess pond and had a seat on the edge of the pool, watching as the moons light danced on the pond's still surface.

They remained at the pond for about a half hour before Hikari said that she needed to go. After saying good-bye she chanted a quick spell and disappeared. Jack turned to walk back to his farm unaware of the sets of eyes watching him from the bushes.

The following morning after eating a light breakfast Jack headed over to Vesta's farm to buy some seeds. Arriving 20 minutes later he walked inside the farmhouse and was met by icy stares.

"What do you want?" Vesta questioned harshly.

Jack just looked at the large woman with a confused look on his face. "Umm…, I'd like to buy some seeds." He said plainly.

"Humph, why don't you just ask you witch friend to steal them for you." Vesta said in a sarcastic voice.

"Yeah, you're not welcome her so leave!" Marlin said angrily as he walked into the room.

"I don't understand why you people are being so damn mean!" Jack retorted loudly. "Hikari's not a thief, so stop saying things like that!"

"But she's a witch and all witches are evil!" Vesta countered. "And your association with her is causing us problems."

"So am I to understand that you're going to refuse to sell me seeds?" Jack asked angrily.

"Yep, that's right." Vesta replied directly. "And we will continue to refuse you until you end you friendship with that evil witch."

"Now get out of our house!" Marlin added, pointing towards the door.

Dejected Jack turned and walked out of the farmhouse.

"_Damn, what am I gonna do now."_ He pondered to himself as he headed back towards his own farm.

Unbeknownst to Jack, Celia had seen what had happened and after Vesta and Marlin head out to the fields she walked downstairs and grabbed two bags of seeds. She removed the money for the seeds from the pocket of her dress and then headed out of the farmhouse.

Jack walked slowly back towards his farm but decided to take a walk to try and clear his mind. He walked down to the turtle pond and remained there for a little while.

"_Maybe I made a mistake when I agreed to help Hikari."_ He mused softly to himself. After a bit longer he headed back to his farm.

He arrived back at the farm and after a quick check on his animals he headed over to the house. As he got closer he noticed two bags of seeds sitting on the doorstep. Attached to one of the bags was a small piece of paper. He curiously removed the note and read it.

_Jack, _

_I saw the way Vesta and Marlin treated you earlier today and I feel it is unfair for them to refuse to sell you seeds. With that in mind please accept these seeds so that your farm will continue to grow. Don't worry they are paid for so no one will accuse you or Hikari of stealing them._

_Celia- _

A smile returned to the farmer's face as he picked up the two bags and headed inside.

"_I'll have to make sure and thank Celia for the seeds."_ He said to himself as he placed the seeds on the table.

The next morning Hikari was watching Jack from the portal in her cauldron. She watched as he worked on getting the seeds Celia gave him into the ground. All the while he had been drinking water to keep him self refreshed. Hikari watched and wondered when he would finish since it was dreadfully boring to just plant seeds. She watched as a distressed look crossed the farmer's face and he hurriedly headed towards his house. A sly smile crossed Hikari's face as she saw him heading towards the bathroom.

"This should be worth a few laughs." She chuckled before chanting a quick spell.

A heavy pressure in Jacks bladder told the young farmer that it's time for a bathroom break. He got up and headed towards the door but once he was there he found the knob was missing!

"Hikari, this isn't funny!" he shouted loudly as the pressure in his gut got worse. "I really gotta go!" He added in a desperate voice.

A moment later the knob returned and Jack rushed into the bathroom. After finishing up he headed back out and found Hikari standing in the room.

"Oh Jack, you should have seen the look on your face!" She giggled merrily. "It was so funny!"

"Well I didn't think so." Jack pouted. "I could have done something that I haven't done since I was 3 years old."

"Well I got a good laugh out of it so thanks for that, bye-bye for now!" Hikari said just before disappearing in a flash of light.

Jack walked back out to his field and happily returned to his planting. Just before lunch a girl's voice called out his name. He recognized the voice as Celia's and got up to greet the pretty girl.

"Hi Jack, how are you today?" She asked in a pleasant tone.

"I'm doing fine." He answered happily. "But aren't you afraid of being here?" He asked curiously.

"Why should I fear being here?" Celia asked curiously. "I don't believe that Hikari is a bad person. She may be a prankster but she isn't evil."

Jack walked over to the brown haired girl. 'Thanks you for that, and thank you so much for the seeds." He said in a grateful voice. "Come on let me make you some lunch in return." He added.

"You're welcome for the seeds." Celia replied. "And yes, some lunch would be nice.

Jack welcomed Celia into his house and walked over to the kitchen. He prepared some pickled vegetables and sashimi for their lunch.

"I hope you like this." He began nervously. "I pickled the vegetables myself."

"I'm sure it will be tasty then." Celia replied with a smile as she took a portion of the pickled veggies and sashimi.

The two enjoyed a nice lunch and afterwards Celia said good-bye to the brown haired farmer and headed back towards Vesta's farm.

Jack happily returned to his fields knowing that made the right decision.

_And there you have it! I'm so sorry that I made everyone wait so long for this chapter. I hope you enjoy this and as always please take a moment to leave me a review. Thank you! _


	5. Explanations

_My thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, __**The Scarlet Sky, FishSoRule, loalaa, Peach the Hedgehog, crescentbellflower, Saki Hanajima-chan, roxas-kh, Moonlit Dreaming, Lupi Loop, Momo-chan12, **__and __**Sailor Star Mars**__. You guys rock! _

_Special thanks to **The Scarlet Sky** for your ideas! _

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Harvest Moon, and I think that by now you know does. _

_**Chapter 5: Explanations**_

After leaving Hikari's house Marlin and Sebastian head over to the Blue Bar for a drink.

It takes them 15 minutes to arrive at Forget Me Not Valley's drinking establishment, walking inside they are greeted by the taverns bubbly hostess, Muffy. She sees them sit down at one of the empty tables and heads over to it.

"Hey, what's up guys?" The blonde haired barmaid asks as she walks up to their table.

"Nothing really." Marlin replies in an annoyed tone. "We just wanna have a couple of drinks and relax." He adds as he looks over the bars menu.

"Well, what can I get for ya?" She asks curiously.

"I'll have a glass of red wine." Sebastian answers dryly.

"I'll take a beer." Marlin says as he returns the menu to its holder. "Can we get some pretzels too?" He adds hopefully.

"Sure, I'll get those right away." Muffy giggles back before turning on her heels and heading back to the bar.

Sebastian sits back and sighs loudly. "All this is her fault." He says sadly.

Marlin looks at the elder man with a look of understanding. "I know what you mean." He replies. "If only we could rid the valley of her evil presence things could return to normal."

"Here ya go!" Muffy chirps as she places the men's drinks on the table. "If you need anything else just ask." She adds with her trademark smile.

For the next 2 hours Sebastian and Marlin consume copious quantities of alcohol. They discuss a wide variety of things as well as recent happenings in the valley. However, their talk always seems to return to one topic in particular, the Witch Princess.

"Ya know why I suffer with this sickness like I do?" Marlin asks in a slurred voice. "It's cuz of that damn witch; she must have cursed me or something."

"I believe it." Sebastian agrees, also sounding a bit intoxicated. "She's truly evil I say!"

"Yeah, and now that Jack guy is helping her too." Marlin replies with a tinge of disgust in his voice. "He's going to get us all in trouble with the Harvest Goddess."

"You are right about that." Sebastian agrees. I've tried to convince Madame Romana time and time again to remove her from the property but for some unknown reason she refuses."

"That doesn't make any sense." Marlin replies. "Why would she do such a thing?"

"I don't know?" The elder servant answers sadly. "I've even told her that I suspect that it was the witch's fault that her son and his young wife died tragically. But Madame Romana denies that. She says they became ill because they were out in the cold to much."

"What do you think happened to them?" Marlin asks his interest now piqued. "I mean if you don't mind me asking."

"It's no problem." Sebastian answers plainly. "The truth needs to be told after all!" He adds angrily.

For the next hour Sebastian tells Marlin about all the events that lead up to what he believed to have happened on those dark nights 15 years ago.

"They were so healthy up till that night." He explains. "Then from out of the blue his wife suddenly becomes gravely ill. The next thing you know they are both sick and Dr. Hardy can't explain the reasons for their sudden decline in health nor can he cure them. Then just two days later they're dead, just like that."

"What made you think that the witch was responsible?" Marlin questions intently.

"Because a few days earlier I saw her hanging around the villa talking to Madame Romana and they appeared to be arguing about something. Then just a few days later they fell ill." He answers. "I just know she was up to no good!"

"That makes sense to me." Marlin agrees as he takes another deep drink from his beer. "That's just the kind of mischief that I'd imagine she'd find humorous."

"So if she's responsible for the deaths, why then does Madame Romana still allow her to remain near the villa?" Marlin asks curiously. "I mean wouldn't she be angry?"

Sebastian leans towards Marlin's ear. "Between you and me I think it might have something to do with Lady Lumina." He whispers softly. 'She may have threatened to harm her if she forces her off the property."

"Damn her!" Marlin shouts loudly, drawing looks from the bars occupants.

"Calm down my friend." Sebastian says as he places his hand on Marlin's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do about it and getting angry isn't going to help."

"I suppose you're right." The younger man replies. "But it still annoys the hell out of me."

They remain at the bar for a little while longer, drinking and mulling over all the valleys problems, convinced that the witch is responsible for creating them.

In her hut Hikari looks into her cauldron and sighs as she looks in on a sleeping Jack. "Why do mortals need to spend so much time sleeping?" She muses out loud. 'I don't think I'll ever understand them."

Hikari walks away from the large black pot and over to the large bookshelf along the back of her house. She looks over the books in front of her and after a bit of debate she removes a thick dark green hard covered book and walks over to the table and sits down. She opens the book and begins to read.

Several hours later she gets up and walks over to the huts door and steps outside. The warm morning sun greets her as she does so. Hikari adjusts her shawl to help protect her from the cool morning air and begins to walk towards Jacks farm.

Jack has just finished watering his crops when he sees the witch Princess walk through the farms gate. A smile flashes across the young farmers face as he put down his watering can and walks towards the blonde haired girl.

"Good morning Jack." Hikari greets as the farmer approaches her. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Good morning Hikari." Jack replies. "Yeah, I slept pretty good last night, why do you ask?"

"Well you looked like you might have been a bit uncomfortable; you were tossing and turning when I looked in on you." Hikari explains.

Jack flushes red as he thinks about Hikari watching him without his knowledge. "I really wish you wouldn't do that." He adds plainly.

The witch smiles and waves off the farmers concern. "Don't worry, I don't watch you shower or anything like that."

Her comment just causes Jack's blush to deepen.

"Anyway, I'll tell you why I'm here." Hikari begins, looking over at the brown haired farmer. "I wanted to ask you if you'd like to go to the fireworks festival." She says in a somewhat shy voice.

Jack looks at her curiously. "Don't you think that people will give you a hard time if you show up there?"

"I've considered that and I spent all last night finding the spell I need to fix that." The witch replies.

"Dare I ask what that means?" Jack asks skeptically. "I'm not gonna let you turn me into some kind of animal or something."

Hikari smiles back at him. "Don't worry, it's nothing like that." She laughs. "The spell won't even work on you, but I do need your help when I cast it."

"What do you need me to do?" He asks curiously.

"I need an article of your clothing." She answers plainly. "Anything will do."

Jack considers the question for a moment and then reaches into his pocket and removes a small red rag. He hands it to Hikari who looks at it curiously.

"What's this?" She asks, holding the rag away from her as though it was toxic.

"I use those to wipe the sweat from my face when I work." Jack answers plainly. "But don't worry, that ones clean."

A relived look fills the witches face and she takes the cloth and places it inside her shawl. "OK, now for the spell." She begins. _"Verwandle mich in seine Schwester!" _She chants and then claps her hands together.

Jack watches as a bluish light temporarily envelopes Hikari. A moment later the light dissipates and Jack gasps as he sees the new form standing in front of him. Hikari has transformed her self into a young girl. She appears to be slightly younger than the farmer. Her dirty blonde hair is in a shoulder length ponytail and sparkling blue eyes look back at him happily. She is dressed in a red and white flannel shirt and blue jeans.

"So, what do you think?" Hikari asks curiously. "How do I look?"

"You look just like a farm girl!" Jack replies happily. "You're pretty cute too!"

"Too bad for you I'm going to be posing as your sister." Hikari says as she notices Jack's interest in her new form.

"What!" Jack retorts loudly. "Why are you posing as my sister?"

"Jeez, you can be so dense sometimes." Hikari says in an annoyed tone. "This way I can accompany you to the festival without causing suspicion."

"But why couldn't you be my girlfriend instead?" Jack asks curiously.

"Because everyone here in Forget Me Not Valley knows everybody else and if all of a sudden a new girl popped up form out of the blue they'd be suspicious. However, you can easily say that I'm your sister, here for a visit." Hikari explains.

"Hmmm.., I guess that makes sense." Jack replies. "But why did you need my help for this spell?"

"I'm not to sure about that." Hikari answers plainly. "But that's what the spell book called for, so that's what we did."

"Will you stay in this form until the festival?" The farmer asks curiously.

"Yep, it's in two days and during this time you can introduce me around town as your sister." Hikari answers happily. "I'll promise to behave." She adds with a sly smile.

"OK, but I can't call you Hikari or they will know something's up." Jack begins. "So what should I call you sis?"

"Hmm…, how about Yuina?" Hikari says hopefully. "I like that name quiet a bit."

"That sounds good to me." Jack replies. "OK, Yuina it is."

For the next two days Jack and Hikari mingle with the residents of the valley. They happily accept their story that Yuina is Jack's sister visiting him from the city. In fact they seem to be more than happy to go out of their way to make her feel at home.

"Hi Jack, hi Yuina!" Ruby says as they walk into the Inner Inn. "Please have a seat and make yourselves comfortable." The Inns hostess adds happily.

Jack and Hikari take a seat and Ruby brings them the Inns menu. "So Yuina, how are you enjoying your stay here in the valley?" She asks Jack's 'sister' curiously.

"It's been an interesting experience." Hikari replies. "I'm not use to people being so polite to me."

Ruby looks at the girl curiously but shrugs it off. After all, Nami had told her that people were much different in the city. "Well, what can I get for you tonight?" She asks, ready to take their order.

Both Jack and Hikari order the house special, much to Ruby's delight.

"I'll get those out right away!" Ruby chirps happily before turning on her heels and heading towards the kitchen.

A short time later Ruby returned with two steaming platters of delicious smelling food. She places the plates down one in front of Jack and one in font of Hikari. "Enjoy your dinner!" She says happily.

Jack and Hikari enjoy their dinner and after splitting a delectable piece of chocolate cake they head back to Jack's farm. As they go, Jack looks over at Hikari curiously.

"Are you enjoying being my 'sister'?" He asks curiously. "I mean you seem to have fallen right into the roll."

"I suppose that I am having fun with this." Hikari answers softly. "After all it's given me the opportunity to walk around with out fear of being harassed."

"Yeah, the town has really opened up to you, that's for sure." Jack says as he looks over at the witch. "I suppose it's a welcome change from what you're used to."

Hikari smiles and nods her head in agreement.

The night of the fireworks festival finally arrives and Jack escorts Hikari down to the beach. They arrive just before dusk and watch as Patrick and his brother Kassey set up the display.

"Hi Jack, who's this with you? Celia asks as she walks up to where they are standing.

"Hi Celia, this is my sister Yuina." He answers happily. "She's visiting me from the city."

"Wow, you came all the way here from the city!" The brown haired farmer girl asks her interest piqued.

Hikari nods her head yes, answering Celia's question.

"How do you like our town?" Celia questions curiously. "Is it a lot different from the city?"

"Well in the city people are much ruder, so it's a nice break to meet such polite people." The disguised witch replies. "So yes, I do enjoy it here."

Celia smiles and says good-by before heading over to where Vesta is sitting.

"Hey Jack!" Marlin calls as he approaches Jack and Hikari.

As the man walks over an annoyed look appears on Jack's face. "What do you want?" Jack asks plainly. "Because if you want to argue then just leave me alone."

"Nah, I just noticed that you're not with that evil witch." He says dryly. "I hope that you finally came to your senses and dumped her."

Jack can see the anger rising in Hikari's face and knows that he needs to get away from Marlin soon.

"What's it to you if I want to be around her or not." Jack retorts. "Anyway, I don't want my sister to see the ugly side of the valley so please leave us."

Marlin looks over at Jack's 'sister' and attempts to make nice with her. "I'm Marlin; it's nice to meet you."

"Charmed I'm sure." Hikari replies coldly.

He turns back to Jack and looks the farmer over. "Just keep clear of that evil witch." He says in a semi treating voice before walking away.

"What an ass." Hikari says angrily. "I wish he'd just leave you alone."

"Never mind him, let's just enjoy the fireworks." Jack says as he helps Hikari spread out their blanket.

They settle down and as the sun dips below the horizon and the sky become's a velvety black they enjoy a dazzling fireworks display. Afterwards they head back to the farm.

"Thanks for a nice evening Jack." Hikari says as she reverts back to her normal self. "I really had fun."

"You're welcome." Jack replies happily. "I just wish that you didn't need to disguise yourself to have fun."

"It's alright." Hikari says softly. "I've grown used to the rejections; after all I do cause mischief for the people of the valley."

"Still…" Jack begins but is cut of by Hikari.

"I said don't worry about it." She says sounding a bit annoyed. "I have only myself to blame for it." She adds before giving him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for being here and helping me."

Jack stands there frozen for a moment. He finally returns to the moment and smiles back at the blonde haired witch.

"Ta ta for now Jack." Hikari says and chants a quick spell. With a clap of her hands she disappears, leaving the farmer alone.

After she leaves Jack gets ready for bed and lies down to sleep. As he lies in the soft warmth of his bed he thinks about Hikari for a moment. He thinks about the kiss, Hikari's lips were warm and soft. _"And I always thought that witches were cold."_ He muses silently. As he closes his eyes to sleep he wonders if Hikari is watching over him.

_Yay, I finished another chapter! I hope that everyone likes this chapter, please take a moment to leave me a review and tell me what you think. Thanks a ton! _


	6. Fear and Anger

_A big thank you to __**crescentbellflower, Saki Hanajima-chan, Peach the Hedgehog, loalaa, Momo-chan12, Moonlit Dreaming, The Scarlet Sky, Lupi Loop, **__and __**Sailor Star Mars**__ for your awesome reviews of the last chapter. I love you guys! _

_**A/N:**__ I must say I'm so very happy that so many people have enjoyed my story so far. Wow, 46 reviews for 5 chapters, you don't know how happy that makes me! This story of mine even inspired __**Chicken Yuki**__ to write a Witch Princess tale of his own, truly an honor for me indeed. I hope everyone continues to enjoy my story and as always, please let ne know what you thought of it with a review. Thanks! _

_Disclaimer: Natsume owns Harvest Moon, not me. _

_**Chapter 6: Fear and Anger**_

The rain started out innocently enough, and after almost two weeks without any measurable amount of precipitation, the residents of Forget Me Not Valley welcomed its arrival.

However, before to long it became apparent to the residents of the valley that this wasn't going to be a simple mid summer rainstorm. No, it was going to be something that would remain in their minds for some time to come.

As morning passed in to early afternoon the storm seemed to be growing in strength, not weakening as storms normally would do. It seemed, to the casual observer that it was feeding on some seemingly unknown force, allowing it to continue to gain strength and momentum. Quickly conditions around Forget Me Not Valley began to decline as a result.

As the main body of the storm arrived it began to whip the winds up into a furious gale. The strength of which could easily move objects and topple trees.

Bright flashes of lightning blazed across the dark ominous sky, followed by deafening cracks of thunder. Heavy sheets of rain poured from the forbidding sky causing streams of fast moving runoff to begin to flow through the streets of the town. The residents watch anxiously from their homes as nature brings forth her wrath upon them.

Jack watches the events unfolding outside from the relative comfort of his house. A look of concern is pasted on his face as he watches the large pools of water beginning to form in the yard outside the house.

"Man, its sure coming down." He says to his pet cat Rena, stroking the feline's fur softly. "I hope this ends soon."

The jet black cat simply purrs softly in reply, knowing that there is nothing she can do to change the conditions beyond the window.

The scene is similar on Vesta's farm, Marlin and Celia watch as the rivers of runoff form temporary lakes between the neatly planted rows of their farms crops.

"This is all her fault!" Marlin growls angrily. "That damn witch is to blame for this, I just know it."

"I disagree." Celia says simply. "This is simply a bad rainstorm, that's all." She adds before returning her gaze back outside.

Marlin looks over curiously at the brown haired girl standing next to him. "Why are you defending her?" He questions intently. "She sent Goddess Rin away and now nature is being allowed to run amuck. You see what's being done to our farm as a result of her actions."

As if to accentuate Marlin's point the storm takes that moment to display its fury, sending several strong gusts of wind across the rain soaked landscape, flattening rows of crops and uprooting trees as if they were nothing at all.

"Oh my Goddess." Celia gasps as she watches the storm destroy the farms crops. "What is happening, why is this storm so severe?"

"I told you why." Marlin answers sarcastically. "It's all that witches doing. She's gonna destroy this valley as her revenge on us!"

"No, you're wrong!" The brown haired girl retorts angrily. "I don't believe that Hikari wouldn't do such a thing." She adds before reaching for her raincoat and an umbrella. 'She may be a prankster, but she'd never willingly destroy us." She adds, putting on her raincoat.

"What are you doing?" Marlin questions as he watches her put the coat on. "You can't go out in this weather."

"But I need to find Jack, to ask him why this is happening!" Celia tells him. "I need to know…, I need to know the truth."

"I won't let you go out in this kind of weather and put yourself in danger like that." Marlin says, blocking her way to the door. "There's no way I'll let you go out in this storm!"

Celia watches as the older man whom she considers to be like an older brother to her places himself in front of the door, preventing her from leaving. "Get out of my way Marlin!" She shouts loudly. "I need to do this, I need to know!"

Her shouts bring a curious Vesta out of the back storeroom. "What's going on here?" She asks as she approaches them. "Why are you wearing your coat Celia?"

"She was gonna go to that new farmers for some crazy reason." Marlin answers. "I stopped her from it though." He adds sounding somewhat proud of the fact.

"Celia dear, you can't go out in this kind of weather, it's far too dangerous." Vesta says to the brown haired girl. "Why do you want to see him anyway?" She asks curiously.

"It's because I need to know if Hikari is responsible in any part for this storm." She answers honestly. "I need to find out the truth about her."

"I already told you that she is!" Marlin informs. "I don't understand why you would wanna question me. She's a witch and she's evil, that's all there is to it! I just don't understand why you are so intent on defending her or that farmer?"

Both Marlin and Vesta look at Celia, waiting to hear her answer. However instead of answering the question she simply removes her coat and after hanging it back up begins to head up to her room.

"Hey, I asked you a question! Don't just walk away from me like that!" Marlin says angrily.

Celia doesn't respond or even look at him; instead she just goes up to her room and walks over to the window. She looks outside and watches as the storm continues its relentless lashing of Forget Me Not Valley.

"_I really hope that Marlin's wrong…"_ She says softly before turning away from the window and lying down on her bed. _"Please be wrong…" _

In her hut Hikari is also concerned about the storms intensity.

"Damn, I just know I'm gonna be blamed for this storm." She says out loud. "Even though I've told them like a million times already that I have no power over the weather, they still seem intent on blaming me for its recent quirkiness.'

The witch gets up and walks over to her caldron. A quick chant opens the portal to Jacks farm. She looks in on the young farmer and notices the concern in his face. "I guess he's worried about what the storms doing to his farm." She muses aloud.

Several loud rumbles of thunder resonate through her small home and Hikari steps back from the large black pot. She walks over to the window and looks outside, she gasps slightly as she sees the results of the storms destructive force.

All around her home there are trees that have had branches broken off or that have simply been ripped from the ground. Debris of all sorts litters the walkway up towards Romana's Villa as well as the yard in front of her hut. Large murky brown pools of rising floodwater are forming all around the valley as the relentless rain continues to fall.

Normally the sight of such chaos would have pleased her to no end. After all, creating mischief and havoc for the residents of the valley is what she did. However, at that very moment and for some strange reason she felt a strange urge to cry out for it to stop.

On Jacks farm he takes advantage of a lull in the storms intensity to run out and tend to his animals. He grabs an umbrella and heads out first to the barn. Inside he finds his animals scared but otherwise unharmed. He quickly feeds and gives them fresh water before heading out of the barn and over to the chicken coop.

Inside the coop the farmer finds that the storm has upset his hens badly. They walk uneasily around the coop, clucking loudly as the farmer fills their empty feed bins. He also discovers that the large amount of rain the storm has brought has caused the roof to begin to leak. Jack picks up the nests nearest the dripping section of ceiling and moves them to the other side of the coop. Once all his hens are dry he makes a mental note to remember to fix the leak once the rain has stopped. After a quick check of the bird's water trough, Jack heads back towards his house, as he does he passes one of his fields. He stops and looks sadly at the now flattened and drowning plants.

"_All that work for nothing."_ He says to himself dejectedly.

He walks into the muddy field and picks up one of the fallen plants. Looking at its muddy battered leaves the farmer feels both sadness and anger begin to well inside him. "Is this my price for helping Hikari?" He asks rhetorically, knowing that no one is there to answer him.

After a moment he gently places the dying plant back down on the moist soil and stands up. The rain has once again begun to fall heavily and he trudges back to his home wondering what will be left once the storm finally passes.

Jack opens the door to his home and finds the blonde haired witch sitting on the couch. She looks up from what she's doing and gets up and walks over to the wet and muddy farmer and eyes him wryly.

"Eww…, what happened to you, did you fall in a mud puddle or something?" She asks, noting the fact that his clothes are dripping muddy droplets of water on the floor. "You're totally soaked!"

"No, I didn't fall in a puddle, I was just trying to save what's left of my farm and in case you haven't noticed it's raining out." He answers angrily. "This storm had better not be the result of one of your spells." He adds, looking directly into Hikari's scarlet eyes.

"Ugh, do I have to remind you too?" She replies in an exasperated tone while rolling her eyes. "I told you I have absolutely no control over the weather nor can I cast spells that will affect it either."

"Are you sure?" Jack asks again. "I mean, this storm isn't the result of another one of your 'mistakes' is it?" He questions intently.

"I told you it wasn't so why do you doubt me Jack?" Hikari answers with a tone of hurt in her voice. "Don't you believe what I say either?" She adds softly.

"I don't know." He answers. "It just seems that I've had a run of bad luck since I've begun helping you, that's all."

"Well that's not my fault." The witch replies plainly.

"Is that really the truth?" Jack asks, wanting to know more. "I mean you have a reputation for causing trouble for us here in the valley."

Hikari is about to give her answer when several loud claps of thunder shatter the silence of the room. Both Jack and Hikari's attention are drawn outside where a particularly violent storm has begun to unleash its rage.

"Why would you think that I would do this to you?" She asks as she watches the sheets of rain pelt the already saturated ground.

"Maybe it's not you." Jack answers, causing a small smile to appear momentarily on Hikari's face. "No, instead maybe its natures way of seeking revenge for the fact that you sent the Goddess away."

The smile on Hikari's face quickly fades and is replaced by a frown. "You know what Jack; you're starting to sound like one of those thickheaded fools who accuse me of everything from the poor weather to the fact that they have itchy feet." She retorts sarcastically. "Is that what you want Jack? To be like them and just blame me for everything?"

The farmer looks over at the woman standing next to him. "No, it's just that…" Jack answers, his voice trailing off as he watches the storms fury. "I'm just upset at the fact that all I've worked for is being wiped out and I'm helpless to stop it from happening." He blurts loudly.

"I'm sorry for that Jack, I truly am but you must believe me when I tell you that I had nothing to do with this." Hikari says plainly.

"Maybe you're right, sorry for thinking that you were in some way responsible fir this." Jack says in an apologetic voice.

"Thank you for understanding Jack." Hikari replies softly. "Hey, since it's still raining and we can't change that let me make you some of my special tea to help pass the time." She says in a hopeful tone.

"It won't turn me into a frog will it?" The farmer teases jokingly.

"Nah, that only works if you are a Prince or something like that." She answers with a laugh. "And since it's apparent that you aren't a Prince or anything you should be safe."

Jack leads Hikari into the kitchen and shows her where the kettle is. She takes the kettle and fills it with water then places it on the counter. She then removes a small bag from inside her shawl. She takes the bag and empties the contents into the pot.

"Now I just need to brew it." She says plainly.

"The stoves over here, do you know how to use it?" Jack asks curiously.

A look of amusement fills the witches face. "Stoves and such things are for you mortals." She begins. "I have a much faster way of heating water."

Jack cringes as the blonde haired Princess prepares to cast her spell. Hikari just looks at him and shakes her head.

"_Erhitze das wasser schnell!" _She chants and claps her hands together.

A yellowish light flashes briefly around the ceramic tea pot and seconds later there is steam rising from the opening I the kettle.

"See, isn't that much faster." She says as she picks up the pot and pours the farmer a cup of steaming tea.

After pouring herself a cup as well she joins Jack at the table and they sit and listen to the storm raging outside.

Just before sunset the storm finally moves beyond the valley, and for the first time since it began the residents of Forget Me Not Valley emerge from their homes to survey the damage left in its wake.

Marlin and Vesta are also inspecting the damaged crops on their farm and Celia takes advantage of this to slip away and head over to Jack's farm. It takes her a little longer than normal to make her way there due to the amount of debris and standing water blocking her passage.

She arrives at the gate to Jack's farm and walks in, as she does she takes note of the many damaged trees and his flattened flooded fields. _"Hmmm…, it seems as though his farm has suffered as well." _She muses softly before heading up to the farmhouse.

Jack and Hikari are still sitting at the table when they hear a knock at the door. Hikari gives Jack a quick wink and silently chants a spell and disappears. Once she's gone Jack gets up and walks over to the door and opens it.

"Hello Jack, I'm happy to see that you've weathered the storm." Celia says in a friendly voice.

"Yeah, you too, it's nice to see you Celia." He greets happily. "How badly was your farm damaged?" He asks curiously, indicating that the pretty brown haired girl should come inside.

"Well it looks like me may have lost some of our crops due to wind damage and flooding." She begins. "I noticed that your farm seems to have sustained some damage as well."

"Yeah, a couple of me trees are down and some of my fields are underwater." Jack replies sadly. "It will take all I've got to recover from this."

"Jack, Ummm…, the reason I came here is to…, is to ask you a question." Celia stammers.

The farmer looks at her curiously. "Sure, what's on your mind?" He asks curiously.

"I need to know if Hikari was responsible for the storm." She states bluntly. "I need to know the truth about her Jack."

Jack considers the question for a moment before giving his answer. "Hikari had nothing to do with the storm, nothing at all." He responds truthfully.

"Are you telling me this truthfully?' She asks intently. "Please don't lie about it to cover for her Jack."

"I'm telling you the truth, Hikari had nothing to do with the storm." He says plainly. "Believe me if you like, but she told me herself that she had nothing to do with it and I believe her."

Celia smiles back at the brown haired farmer. "I believe you Jack." She says happily. "I just had to be sure of it."

"Thank you for that Celia, it really helps me to know that I have at least one other person who believes me about her." Jack says happily. "So, may I offer you some tea? Hikari made it for me before she left." He says indicating the tea pot sitting on the table.

"She was just here?" The farm girl questions curiously. "Where did she go?"

"Yep, she came here during the storm." Jack replies. "I asked her when she was here if she had anything to do with the storm and she told me that she didn't and I believe her. She left when you knocked on the door."

Celia sits down at the table and accepts a steaming cup of tea from Jack. The farmer sits back down and refills his cup.

In her hut Hikari looks in on Jack and Celia, watching curiously as the two young people sits at the table and talk. _"Hmm…, they seem to make a nice pair."_ She muses softly. _"I hope you're able to see her more often." _

Meanwhile at the Blue Bar Marlin is currently addressing a sizable group of the valley's residents.

"You see what that damned evil witch had done to us!" He states loudly. "I say that it's time for us to take control of this situation, it's time for us to take action!"

Loud cheers and whoops of agreement resonate throughout the valleys drinking establishment.

"And I say that the time to do it is now!" He says slamming his hands down on the table. He then turns and heads towards the door.

_Uh oh, this chapter ends with an evil cliffhanger! Sorry about that, ah, well no I'm not! Grins Evilly I like how this chapter turned out and I hope you do to. Please remember to leave me a review when you're done reading! Thank you! _


	7. Witch Hunt Part 1

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, __**crescentbellflower, Momo-chan12, Moonlit Dreaming, MyShadowsThorn, roxas-kh, The Scarlet Sky, Lupi Loop,**__ and __**Sailor Star Mars. **__I really do appreciate your support! _

_**A/N:**__ Sorry for the long delay between chapters however events in my life didn't allow me much time to focus on writing. However these things have been sorted out and I hope to get back into a routine of bi-weekly updates. Thank you for you patience! _

_**Disclaimer:**__ Nope, it's still not mine. _

_**Chapter 7: Witch Hunt Part 1**_

"The time for action is now!" Marlin shouted loudly, rousing the crowded Blue Bar into a cheering frenzy. "I say we go there now and demand answers!"

More whoops and cheers resonated throughout the establishment.

"Hey Marlin, don't you think you might be jumping to conclusions?" Griffin asks curiously. "I mean we've had bad weather here before and I don't remember anyone forming a lynch mob then."

"That's because I know that damn witch is responsible for this. She's the one who sent Goddess Rin away after all." Marlin counters angrily. "Nature has been allowed to run amuck as a result of her reckless actions." He adds.

"Do you know this as fact?" The elder bartender questions intently. "How can you be so sure of this?"

"She's evil that's how!" Sebastian shouts as he stands up and walks over to where Marlin is standing. "She's a witch whose sole purpose is to cause trouble for the people of this valley."

"So who's with us?" Marlin asks curiously. "Who wants to see that justice is served for the damage her storm caused us?"

"My brother and I are with you!" Kassey shouts loudly as he and his brother stand and move over to where the elder butler and pompadour haired farmer are standing.

"Count us in as well!" A voice from the far side of the bar shouts.

Marlin looks in the direction and recognizes Chris and her husband Wally standing and moving in his direction.

"We have to protect the children in the valley from her evil presence." Wally says as he walks up to Marlin and stands next to him. "So we'll do this for our son Hugh as well as all the other children."

"I still think that you are making a huge mistake." Griffin says intently. "Consider what the consequences could be if you are wrong!"

"We're not wrong about this, so shut the hell up about it!" Marlin retorts angrily before opening the bars door and heading outside.

Sebastian follows Marlin outside into the fading light. They are soon joined by Patrick and his brother and Wally and Chris.

"We're with you, now let's go and get some answers!" Kassey shouts loudly.

Together the group heads away from the bar and towards Pallet Farm in search of what they believed to be the truth.

"Hey Griffin, I'm gonna run ahead and tell Celia about this. She might be able to talk some sense into Marlin." Muffy says as she heads towards the door. "Sorry for leaving you!" She adds before disappearing outside.

The elder barkeeper watches as the door swings closed, leaving him alone in the tavern. Sitting down on one of the bars stools the elder barkeeper considers for a moment what had just transpired in his bar. It occurs to him that Marlin had just formed a kind of witch hunting party. Shaking his head in semi disbelief he picks up his guitar and begins to strum the worn strings, humming a soft tune as he does.

Muffy hurries along the path as best she can. In order to avoid being seen by Marlin she has taken the back way which takes her past Daryl's lab. She quickens her step in an effort to reach Vesta's farm ahead of Marlin and his group. She is impeded not only by the debris left by the storm, but also by the fact that it was difficult to run in high heels! She curses softly as she feels her ankle twist for the umpteenth time. However she can hear Marlin and his group as they head through the center of town and she knows that she doesn't have a moment to waste.

Hikari is sitting at the table in her hut trying to figure out if she was in some way responsible for the storm. She goes over the only spell book she has that contains spells that could possibly alter the weather. However, none of them included anything even remotely close to the storm that had passed through there earlier.

"This just doesn't make sense." She stated aloud. "I have no weather spells nor can I control the weather, so why do I feel somehow responsible for what happened?"

Soft meowing distracts her thoughts for a moment. She glances down and finds her pet cat circling her feet. A smile crosses the witches face as she reaches down and picks up the orange tabby colored feline. She scratches the purring animal for a bit before placing her back on the floor. She stands up and walking over to her caldron.

"I wonder what Jack is up to." She asks herself softly.

She quickly chants the spell and the portal once again appears in the center of the large black kettle. She looks in with interest and finds Jack sitting on his couch reading a book. Hikari is just about to play a little harmless prank on the farmer when she feels something strange, a feeling that something is about to happen on the young farmer's ranch. Chanting another short incarnation she widens the view of the portal to include the farm and the area surrounding it. What she sees grabs her attention immediately.

"Damn, I was afraid something like this would happen." She mutters loudly. She steps back from the steaming pot and begins to chant a spell a moment later she claps her hands together and disappears.

Muffy's efforts seem to have paid off as she approaches Vesta's farm. She looks around and doesn't see anyone. "Looks like I got here first." She says her voice sounding winded from her race to get there first.

Wasting no time the blonde barmaid heads up to the door and knocks loudly several times. At first no one answers and she becomes a little nervous. She knocks a couple of more times and this time much to her relief she hears the door being unlocked. A moment later it opens reviling a worn out looking Vesta.

"Oh Muffy, what are you doing here at this hour?" Vesta questions curiously. "Aren't you normally at the bar at this time?"

"Yeah normally, but I need to talk to Celia. Is she still awake?" Muffy replies quickly.

"I think so, just a moment and I'll check and see." Vesta says before turning and leaving Muffy to wait.

Several tense minutes later the door reopens, this time its Celia standing on the other side with a confused look on her face.

"Hi Muffy, Vesta said you wanted to see me?" The brown haired girl asks curiously.

"Yeah, I need your help." The blonde replied simply.

"What? How can I help you?" Celia asks intently.

"Marlin was at the bar and he was talking about how he believes the Witch Princess and Jack had something to do with the storm. He has a group of them now and they are headed over to Jack's farm now." Muffy gasped out as fast as she could. "I was hoping that you could go with me and try and convince Marlin not to do anything stupid."

"I don't know if he'll listen to me but I'll give it a try." Celia replies. She reaches back and closes the door and joins Muffy as she heads towards Jacks farm.

Jack is sitting on his couch reading a book when the sounds of people approaching the farmhouse catch his attention. He puts the book down and walks over to the window and looks out but doesn't see anyone. He's about to head over to the door when Hikari appears a few feet away.

The witch looks around intently and then breaths a sigh of relief. "Good they haven't made it here yet."

A confused Jack looks at her for a moment before responding. "Who isn't here yet?" He questions curiously.

"Marlin and a group of some of the other residents, that's who." Hikari answers directly. "I don't know what they want but you can be sure it won't be anything good."

"Damn it can't that ass just leave me alone!" Jack retorts angrily. "I mean what does he expect to achieve by coming here?"

"I don't know. But I guess we'll find out shortly." Hikari replies plainly.

"There they are Celia, come on!" Muffy says as she points to the group of people a short distance in front of them.

In spite of her inappropriate footwear Muffy, along with Celia are able to intercept Marlin as they approach the gate of Jack's farm. Together they stand in front the entrance blocking the way.

"What are you two doing?" Marlin demands as he walks up to the girls. "Move out of our way!"

"No, not until you tell me what you're going to do." Celia responds flatly.

"I don't have to explain my actions to you!" Marlin retorts loudly. "I can do as I please."

"That was rude of you Marlin. After all Celia's just concerned that's all." Muffy chimes in.

"OK if it gets you out of our way. We're gonna go and visit Jack and try to get some answers from him." Sebastian informs them plainly. "We want to know what part his witch friend played in that storm."

"I can answer that for you." Celia replies. "Hikari didn't have anything to do with the storm."

'Oh and how do you know this?" Marlin questions curiously.

"Because I asked Jack earlier and he told me." The young farm girl replies.

"And you believed him?" Patrick retorts loudly. "He was probably just protecting her that's al."

"That's not true!" Celia defends. "He told me the truth!"

"Sorry Celia, but we cannot believe you." Sebastian adds directly. "We need to hear it from Jack himself."

"And what if he tells you the same as I just did?" Celia asks curiously. "What will you do then? Call him a lair as well!" She retorts, anger and frustration mixed in her tone.

"Please step aside Celia." Marlin tells the brown haired girl before him. "Just as you needed to know the truth so do we."

"I just told you what you want." She repeats sounding a little desperate. "Please Marlin; I don't want this to end in a conflict between you and Jack."

"Well we'll just have to see what happens." Marlin replies as he steps around Celia and heads towards the farmhouse, his group of followers right on his heels.

_Yeah, another chapter in the books! The suspense is building don't you think? Anyway, as always please take a moment and tell me what you think. Thanks! _


	8. Witch Hunt Part 2

_A big thank you to the following awesome people for their nice reviews of the last chapter, __**Peach the Hedgehog, Kanamay, Momo-chan12, **__**loalaa, roxas-kh, **__**Odin, **__**Lupi Loop, **__**Lupia,**__ and __**Moonlit Dreaming**__. You guys are awesome! _

_**Disclaimer:**__ Harvest Moon is owned by Marvelous Interactive and Natsume, not me. Big surprise I know. _

_**Chapter 8: Witch Hunt Part 2**_

"They're here Jack." Hikari says in a concerned voice. "Let's be ready for anything."

The young farmer nods in acknowledgment and walks towards the door. He pauses momentarily before he opens it. "I'm ready." He adds as he reaches for the doorknob.

"Be careful Jack." Hikari whispers softly.

Jack opens the door and steps outside. The cool night breeze brushes past him, causing the young man to shiver slightly. He steps down the steps and moves to within a few feet of the group. He then faces Marlin and his followers. The moon's illumination casts eerie shadows as Jack faces off with the angry residents of the valley.

"What do you want now?" Jack demands, not wanting to give up any ground to the pompadour haired man standing a short distance away from him.

"We want to know what part your witch friend played in that storm." He demands loudly. "And don't lie and say that she had nothing to do with it." He adds, pointing an accusing finger at the young farmer.

Marlins request draws whoops and hollers from the group behind him.

"Princess Hikari had nothing to do with the storm." Jack says plainly. "Believe what ever you want but that's the truth."

"How do we know that you're not just lying to protect her?" Patrick questions intently.

"Yeah, I bet you're lying!" Kassey adds loudly. "We want the truth. Now tell us the truth!"

"Damn it I am telling you the truth!" Jack retorts angrily. "But if you're too asinine to comprehend that then there's nothing I can do about it." He adds before turning his back on them and heading back towards the house.

"How dare you insult us like that?" Sebastian says angrily. "You have no right to hurl insults at us like that."

"Me insulting you, you're kidding right?" Jack gasps as he turns around and faces them once again. "You guys are the ones who are here on _my_ farm accusing _me_ of being a liar. Who's insulting whom here?"

The elder butler seems to be somewhat taken aback by the young farmers comment. He tries to form a response but it dies in his throat. He looks around and the others standing around him, noticing that the angry faces that had been apparent when they started have been replaced by confused and questioning ones.

"I've had enough of this pointless talk, I want some answers and I want them now!" Marlin growls as he begins to move towards Jack.

Celia can see what's about to happen and runs towards Marlin. "Marlin no, please stop this madness!" She shouts as she steps in front of her elder housemate. "Fighting will solve nothing!"

"Move Celia, I don't know why you are so intent on defending him but I'm going to get what I want, revenge for the damage to our farm!" He growls, pushing the petite farm girl to the side.

Jack takes up a fighting stance and prepares to defend himself against the quickly approaching man. However, before Marlin can get close to him, a semi transparent bluish aura appears, enveloping the farmer completely. Jack seems to be a bit shocked at this and looks over at the blonde haired witch, now standing in the doorway of the farmhouse.

"What the hell is this?" Marlin asks in an annoyed voice.

"It's a protective field." Hikari explains as she walks down the stairs of the porch. "I've put it up to prevent you from harming Jack." She adds calmly. "There will be no fighting."

"It's her, the Witch Princess!" Chris shouts, pointing to Hikari. "She's even in his home; he must be deeply involved with her. Its no wonder he wants to defend her."

"And so what if he does!" Muffy retorts loudly. "Who are you to judge who people can and can not associate with?"

Chris is taken aback by the blonde haired barmaids comment. She considers Muffy's argument for a few moments before backing up a couple of steps. "Umm…, I guess you could be right about that." She mutters softly. "But still, he could find another woman to be his girlfriend."

Chris's comment about her being Jack's girlfriend causes Hikari to blush slightly.

"Well I need more convincing." Marlin shouts angrily, turning and directing his anger towards Hikari. "I don't believe what you're telling us."

"Hey pompadour boy, why can't you just listen to what I'm saying?" Hikari retorts in a frustrated tone. "I've told you and that old guy before, that I don't have any spells that affect, nor can I control the weather in any way. Why can't you get that into your thick head?"

Marlin takes several more steps towards where Jack is standing. He balls his fists in anger, knowing that he's at a disadvantage. None the less he seems determined to continue the confrontation.

Hikari walks over to Jack and stands next to him, her long blonde hair blows gently in the cool evening breeze, her piercing crimson orbs glare at Marlin angrily. "Come on Jack, let me turn hair boy here into a tomato or put ants in his pants or something like that."

"Nope, that wouldn't look very good now would it?" He replies, laughing at her sarcasm. "While I bet it would be funny to see a tomato with a pompadour, we're trying to prevent this from escalating any further and turning Mr. Popularity here into a vegetable or putting insects in his pants might not be the best thing to do right now."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." The blonde replies in a somewhat dejected voice. "Still, I wanna have some fun with them." She pouts playfully.

"Just be patient, I'm sure that you'll be able to have some fun soon." Jack says with a grin.

"OK." Hikari sighs softly a smile returning to her lips.

Still unconvinced Marlin approaches until he is within a few feet of Jack and Hikari. "I want the truth, and one way or the other I will get it!" He says in a threatening manner.

"I think not." Jack retorts. "We've told you what you want to hear. It's up to you to believe it or not."

Marlin looks like he's about to take a swing at the farmer when a voice pipes up from behind hm.

"Hey Marlin, it seems to me that they may actually be telling us the truth." Wally chimes in. "After hearing her tell us in person that she wasn't responsible, well…, I believe her. I mean take a look around, Jacks farm seems to have been damaged by the storm as well."

"Yes Marlin, listen to what's been said." Celia says as she moves in between her elder housemate and the brown haired farmer. "If Hikari was allied with Jack, then why did his farm also suffer from the storms wrath? Hikari can't control the weather, so how could she have caused the storm?"

Marlin looks at Celia and relaxes his posture. "Do you really believe her?" He asks intently. "She caused Goddess Rin to disappear and the chaotic weather is a direct result of that. Knowing that, can you still simply forgive her for the destruction of our crops?"

"Yes I can." The petite girl replies. "Yes, Princess Hikari caused Goddess Rin to disappear. However, together with Jack she is working on getting her and the Harvest Sprites back. I don't understand why you refuse to accept what they are saying?" She adds. "Please reconsider your actions here today."

Marlin shakes his head in frustration. "What about you Sebastian? Do you believe them as well?"

"I don't know, I just don't know." He replies. "What I do know however is that nothing is going to be accomplished here tonight."

"I agree with that." Patrick states plainly. "After hearing everything that's been said and seeing that Jacks farm was also affected by the storm, I think we should leave."

"Yes Marlin, listen to what my brother is saying." Kassey adds in. "It defiantly seems as though we may have been wrong in accusing her of causing the bad weather."

Anger turns to frustration on Marlins face. "What about revenge for the damages her storm caused? I thought you wanted to see justice served?" Marlin asks them curiously.

"You should listen to your followers." Jack states plainly. "They seem to understand better than you that Hikari had nothing to do with the erratic weather."

"But…, but…, I thought." Marlin splutters. "I just knew that she was responsible. He adds, shaking his head in apparent defeat.

"Come on Marlin, let's go home." Celia says as she takes him by the hand.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." He replies softly.

He begins to walk away but stops after a few steps. He turns and looks back at Jack and Hikari. "You may have won this round, but I'm going to be watching you. Slip up just a little and I'll make sure that you and your evil girlfriend are thrown out of this valley forever!"

He then turns back and along with Celia he heads back out the farms gate. The others follow Marlin and Celia, leaving only Muffy behind. Jack looks over at the blonde barmaid, who is standing just a few feet away.

She smiles at Jack. "I just wanted to tell you that you and Hikari are welcome at the Blue Bar whenever you like." She says in her bubbly voice. "Come in and have a good time some time." She adds before turning to leave.

"Thank you Muffy!" Jack says in reply. "It's nice to know that someone besides Celia believes us."

Muffy smiles broadly and waves before she departs.

"Come on Hikari, let's go inside and I'll make us something to eat." Jack says as he heads towards the door.

"Can you make some curry?" She asks in a hopeful tone.

"Yep, I sure can." He replies happily, opening the door and allowing the blonde inside.

"Just have a seat at the table and I'll start." The brown haired farmer says as he walks into the kitchen.

Hikari takes a seat at the table and watches Jack as he prepares the curry. She smiles as the fragrant aroma of the cooking tantalizes her nose.

It takes Jack 20 minutes to prepare the curry dish. Once he's done he divides it into two portions and walks over to the table, placing one of the steaming dishes in front of Hikari and the second across from her and sits down.

He watches curiously as the Witch takes a forkful and places it in her mouth.

"Mmm…, this is good!" Hikari says after swallowing. "You've gotten better at making this." She adds happily.

"Well I know that you like it so I wanted to get better at making it." Jack responds, smiling broadly.

The comment causes Hikari to blush. She'd never had someone besides her mother that cared what she liked after all.

Jack watches as the girl digs in and enjoys her food. As he does he begins to notice that she is actually a very pretty girl.

Hikari can feel the farmers gaze and looks up at him. "Umm…, is there something wrong?" She asks curiously.

"Umm…, no nothings wrong." Jack splutters in a slightly embarrassed tone. "It's just that…, well…,"

"What? What's up?" Hikari asks her curiosity now piqued. "Come on, spit it out!" She encourages playfully.

"It's just that you have very pretty eyes." Jack says softly as his face turns a deep shade of red.

"Do, do you really think so?" Hikari asks sounding a bit shocked at the farmers comment.

"Yep, they are your most striking feature." He replies happily.

"Thank you for the complement Jack." Hikari says shyly. "I'm glad you find them so nice."

Hikari finishes her curry and after thanking Jack for the meal and saying good by she chants a quick spell and returns to her hut.

Jack watches as she departs. _"I hope I didn't make myself look stupid with that comment."_ He ponders softly as he prepares himself for bed.

Back in her hut Hikari also gets herself ready for bed. After changing into her nightgown she climbs into her bed and pulls the soft yellow and blue comforter up over herself. She tries to close her eyes and sleep, but some confusing thoughts prevent her from falling right to sleep.

"_Does he really think my eyes are pretty?"_ She wonders curiously. _"I mean, no ones ever complimented me like that before." _

Hikari can feel her cheeks warm as she thinks about the brown haired farmer. _"What is this that I'm feeling?" _She muses curiously. _"Why do I find myself always thinking about him?" _

Soft meows distract Hikari from her thoughts. She looks over and sees her pet cat waiting to join her. She welcomes the furry creature onto the bed with her. As the purring feline cuddles next to her, Hikari is able to relax and a few minutes later she closes her eyes. A short time later sleep finally finds her.

_Yay! I finished this chapter and it didn't take me a month to do it! I hope everyone likes it and I look forward to reading your thoughts about it in your reviews. Ja ne! _


	9. The Days After

_A special thank you to my wonderful readers, __**Peach the Hedgehog, Lupi Loop, Baby bear, Arisu-Eido, **__**roxas-kh, **__**pikaperfect101**__, and __**Moonlit Dreaming**__. I'm so glad some of you have stuck with me and I welcome my new reviewers, you guys are awesome!_

_**Disclaimer: **__Harvest Moon belongs to Marvelous Interactive and Natsume, not to me. Just in case you were confused about that. _

_**Chapter 9: The Days After**_

In the days that followed tensions in the valley seemed to ebb, at least with the majority of its residents that is. On Vesta's farm, Marlin still seems to be convinced that Princess Hikari is responsible for the ills befalling him. However, at least for the time being he has chosen to remain silent, confiding only to Sebastian while the two of them drink at the Blue Bar.

Sebastian on the other hand seems to want to put the whole affair behind him. It seems that upon returning to the mansion that night Madame Romana had more than a few words with her servant regarding his involvement in what she had deemed as a colossal waste of time.

When Jack walks through town most of its residents either simply nod to him or give a simple greeting before moving on. This was OK with the young farmer, better to be ignored that to be the center of attention.

For the next week Jack worked diligently on getting things on his farm back in order.

A sunny warm morning finds the brown haired young man out in his corn field, pulling weeds and watering the budding plants. Jack pauses for a moment and wipes the sweat from his brow. A quick glance at the cloudless bright blue sky tells him that it was going to be another hot summer day.

Jack is about to return to his chores when a girl's voice catches his ear. He smiles as he recognizes it to be Celia's. He looks up and sees her waving to him from the farms gate. Jack waves back and starts towards her.

"Hi Celia, how are you today?" He asks curiously.

"I'm feeling fine today." She replies in a cheery voice. "I finished with my chores and decided to drop by and see if you could use some extra help."

"That's kind of you." Jack replies. A smile lights up his face as he considers the pretty brown haired girls offer. "Yeah, I could use some extra help." He says finally.

"Great! What would you like me t do?" She asks curiously.

"Well, I was working on weeding my fields so if you could give me a hand with that I'd appreciate it." He explains.

"Sure, I can do that!" Celia replies happily. "Look out weeds, here we come!"

Jack chuckles softly at the girl's enthusiasm. _"She certainly seems determined, that's for sure."_ He muses silently as he leads her over to the corn field that he'd been working in earlier.

For the next hour Jack and Celia work at ridding the field of weeds. Once the task is complete they head over to the barn to tend to Jack's animals.

Celia pauses and looks at Jack. "I wanted to apologize for Marlin's actions a week ago." She says softly. "I hope that you can forgive him for that."

"It's alright." Jack replies back. "I just hope that he has it all out of his system now."

"Regrettably I don't think that's the case. Just yesterday I heard him complaining about something he figures was Princess Hikari's fault."

"Damn, why doesn't he get it?" Jack says in an exasperated voice. "Hikari's not out to get him, no matter what he thinks."

"I believe you." Celia responds. "I've even tried to talk with him about it but her refuses to listen to reason."

"Thanks for trying though." Jack replies. "Maybe one day he'll come around."

"Yep, maybe he will." Celia chirps.

They arrive at the barn a few minutes later. Jack reaches out and pushes the large wooden barn door open and they walk inside. Celia scrunches her nose as the smell of the animals and their byproducts assaults her sense of smell.

"Whew, it smells badly in here." The brown haired girl comments with a laugh. "I never realized that animals had such a pungent and unique aroma."

Jack just laughs at her comment and starts to go about he's chores. He takes a few minutes to show Celia how to brush the cows.

"Annie likes it when you brush her coat this way." Jack says as he demonstrates, brushing the large bovines coat from top to bottom.

"OK, that looks easy enough to do." Celia replies as Jack hands the heavy bristle brush to her. "Shall I do the other cow as well?"

"Yep, but Clarabelle likes to have her coat brushed just the opposite as Annie's." He responds.

Celia nods her head in reply before returning her attention to the black and white animal standing in front of her.

After making sure that Celia was OK, Jack turns his attention to his sheep Snowflake.

Together it takes them just under an hour to care and feed all of Jack's animals. Walking back out into the fresh air Celia takes a deep breath and smiles. "I'm glad that's over." She giggles. "I'm so glad that we only have crops and no animals. No offence or anything but you're animals smell bad."

The young farmer laughs at her comment. "It's OK, it took me a little while to get used to the smell too. But now I kinda like it."

His response elicits a giggle from the petite farm girl.

Jack glances at his watch and notes that it's just before noon. "Are you hungry?" He questions curiously. "I could make us some lunch."

Celia is about to answer no when her tummy growls loudly. Her face turns a shade of pink as she looks at Jack. "Umm…, yeah some lunch sounds good." She replies softly.

"OK, let's go then." Jack says with a smile.

Celia follows Jack up to the house. Jack opens and holds the door open, allowing the brown haired girl inside.

"Please have a seat at the table and I'll get started. Do you like egg salad?" Jack questions curiously.

"Yes I do." Celia replies eagerly. "I haven't had it in a while though."

"I hope mine is good then." He quips. "I just made it fresh yesterday."

It takes Jack only a short time to prepare the sandwiches. Once done he carefully slices the sandwiches lengthwise and places the halves on plates.

"Would you like some potato chips with your sandwich?" He asks curiously.

"Yes please." Celia replies happily.

Jack adds a generous portion of chips to each plate and picks them up and walks over to the table. He sets the first one down in front of Celia and the second down opposite the brown haired girl. He's about to sit down when a bright flash of light momentarily illuminates the room.

The light lasts only seconds and Jack immediately knows what it means. Celia on the other hand is a bit frightened and looks to Jack for an explanation.

"Am I too late for lunch?" Hikari asks as she steps out of the light. "Oh, I didn't know you had a visitor."

Celia looks between the blonde haired girl and Jack. "Is that really her, the Witch Princess?" Celia says in a somewhat startled voice.

"Yep, Hikari just can't resist the urge to pop up out of nowhere." He replies. "I suppose you'd like a sandwich too?" He asks the Witch in a semi sarcastic voice.

"Well as long as you're offering, then yes I would." Hikari answers as she walks over to the table and pulls out the chair next to Celia. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" She asks before taking her seat.

"Umm… no, I don't mind at all." Celia replies, trying to sound as cheerful as she can.

Hikari pulls out the wooden chair and sits down. She smiles at the young farm girl sitting next to her. "Your name is Celia, isn't it?"

"Yes it is, but how do you know that?" She answers. "I mean we've never met before now."

"Jack's mentioned you before and I remember seeing you the night your friend invaded Jacks farm." Hikari answers plainly.

Jack returns to the table a moment later and places a sandwich in front of the Witch. Afterwards he returns to his seat and begins to eat.

"I did come here for a reason." Hikari says between bites. "I wanted to tell you that you've successfully returned 25 of the annoying Harvest Sprites. Soon you will have enough of them gathered up to return Rin."

Celia looks at Jack curiously. "How do you bring them back? Do you possess some kind of magical powers?"

"Nah, it's nothing like that." Jack replies. "They return when I complete various tasks, like shipping so many of a certain kind of vegetables." He answers plainly. "I kinda wish I did have magical powers though, that way I could just 'poof' all my chores away."

His answer elicits a chuckle from Hikari. "The ability to do magic isn't all its cracked up to be." She says plainly. "Look at the problems it seems to cause for me."

"Yeah, you're right about that." The farmer replies.

As he does Celia notices that Jack seems to blush when he talks to Hikari. _"Could he like her?" _She wondered curiously. _"They would make a cute couple though." _

"Umm…, Your Highness, may I ask you a question?" Celia asks hopefully.

"I suppose so, but first please just call me Hikari. There is no need to be so formal." The Witch replies.

"I'm sorry, but you are a Princess after all and I didn't want to disrespect you." Celia apologizes.

"That's alright. I'm not really into the whole 'princess' thing anyway. Now what was it that you wanted to ask me?" Hikari asks intently.

"How much longer will it take before Goddess Rin is finally returned?" She questions.

"Once Jack has returned 60 of the Harvest Sprites they will have enough magical power to return her. However, I'm not sure just how long it will take Jack to return the remaining 35 sprites. It could be a few weeks or even a few seasons."

"Oh OK." The brown haired girl says softly. "It's just that the sooner she's returned the better things will be for Jack, that's all."

They sit I relative quiet for the remainder of lunch. Finally Hikari breaks the silence. "I was wondering Jack, I have a favor to ask. Could you come to my house tomorrow? Also could you bring some red grass with you?"

"Uh, yeah sure, that's no problem." The young farmer splutters.

Once again Celia takes note of Jacks apparent embarrassment as he replies to the pretty blonde haired girl.

With a couple of more bites Celia finishes her sandwich. "Thank you for the lunch Jack. It was very good." She says as she pushes herself away from the table. "I do need to get back to Vesta's, but thanks again."

Jack gets up and walks over to the door. "Thank you for all your help, I don't think I could have gotten so much done without it."

Celia smiles back at Jack. She is just about to walk out the door when Hikari pipes up.

"Celia, may I talk to you for a moment?" She asks hopefully.

"Um…, sure I guess so." Celia replies softly.

Hikari gets up and moves over to the open door. "Let's go outside. I don't want Jack to eavesdrop on us."

Jack watches curiously as the two girls descend the stairs and begin to walk towards the farms gate. His curiosity piques when he sees them stop just a short distance from the house. Unable to resist the urge to listen in, he silently opens the door and slips out. He listens intently, trying to discern what the two girls are saying.

"What was it you want to talk to me about?" Celia queries curiously.

The blonde haired witch stops and looks away. "It's about Jack." She says softly. "Do you like him?"

The question catches Celia off guard, causing her to stammer for a moment. "Umm…, well, I like Jack as a friend, but that's all." She answers finally.

"Oh, I see." Hikari responds. "So, just as a friend…"

Hikari turns back around and is about to say speak when catches something her attention. She pauses for a moment, looking in the direction of the house. "You just couldn't resist could you?" She mutters.

"What did you say?" Celia questions. "I couldn't hear what you said."

Hikari looks at the brown haired girl and smirks. "Watch this and you'll understand."

Celia watches silently as Hikari chants a spell and then claps her hands together. A moment later the sounds of something splattering and Jack's shocked voice fill the air. He staggers out from his hiding place behind a bush, covered in chocolate crème pie.

"You just had to try and listen in didn't you?" Hikari asks sarcastically. "How do you like the pies?"

"Well at least you only hit me with pies." He retorts, wiping the chocolaty filling from his face. "Yum, they are tasty though."

"Yeah, well the next time it could be something much worse." She threatens playfully. "So I'd advise you not to eavesdrop on me."

Jack nods his head in acknowledgment and both girls watch as the pie covered farmer walks back inside to get cleaned up.

"How did you know he was there?" Celia asks curiously. "I didn't even hear or see him."

"I could sense his presence, that's how." Hikari explains. "It's pretty simple really."

Celia just nods her head, not really understanding everything.

"Is that all you wanted to know?" Celia asks. "Because I really need to get back to Vesta's farm soon."

"Yeah, that's it." Hikari replies simply. "Would you like me to bring you back to your home?"

"No thank you. I can walk." Celia quickly replies.

"Are you sure? It's a simple spell after all." Hikari adds.

"I'm sure, it's a nice day and I can walk. Thank you for the offer though."

Hikari watches as the petite brown haired farm girl heads off down the path. Once she is no longer in sight Hikari chants a spell and with a clap of her hands she disappears.

The following day, after completing his chores Jack heads towards Hikari's home. He remembers her request and heads towards the fields near Daryl's lab, he arrives a short while later. A quick survey on the field reveals no red grass.

Disappointed he heads towards the fields across from Madame Romana's villa. There he finally finds the elusive plants. Plucking several from the ground he shakes the loose soil from their roots before placing them into his backpack. With this now done he heads over to the Witch's small home.

Arriving at the small wooden hut Jack knocks on the door and waits for Hikari to answer it. Several minutes pass but still the door remains closed. Once again he knocks, this time a little harder that the last. Still there is no answer.

Jack is about to leave when the door finally opens. "Welcome Jack, please come inside." Hikari greets. "Would you like some tea?"

"Some tea would be nice, thank you." Jack answers as he steps inside the small building. Once inside he notices a sweet smelling fragrance in the air. "Here's the red grass you asked for." He adds, removing the poisonous plants from his backpack and handing them to the blonde haired girl.

"Thanks, I need it for a potion I'm making." The witch responds. "This is the final ingredient."

"What kind of a potion is it?" Jack queries quizzically, eyeing the large black cauldron steaming in the center of the room.

"That my friend is a secret." Hikari answers as she places a cup of her special tea down on the table. "I can't tell you about it right now so don't ask anymore questions about it."

"Will I find out about it in the future?" The brown haired farmer asks, wondering if he'll somehow regret learning what it is that the witch is brewing.

"Perhaps, it all depends on how it turns out." Hikari replies. "But for now, I said don't worry about it."

"_No, don't worry about it right now Jack…" _Hikari muses slyly a grin appearing on her lips as she does.

_I know, a cliffhanger is an evil way to end the chapter but I promise the next one will be better. As always please read and review! Thanks. _


	10. Potion Problems Part 1

_Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, __**Moonlit Dreaming, roxas-kh, Dancing Raindrop, pikaperfect101, **__and __**Momo-chan12**__. My thanks also go out to everyone who stopped by my story and took a look. _

_A big thank you goes to __**Peach the Hedgehog **__for helping me with this chapter! _

_**Chapter 10: Potion Problems Part 1**_

Standing in front of her cauldron, Hikari carefully adds ingredients to the simmering concoction brewing within it. A smile crosses the witch's face as she tests the fragrance emanating from the pot.

"I think I've finally gotten it right this time." She says out loud. "I just need to add the red grass that Jack brought."

Hikari walks over to the table and carefully picks up the poisonous plant. A quick glance at the potion book open on the table and she walks back over to the large black pot. She gently separates the small red leaves from the plant's stem and places them into the boiling liquid.

The witch steps back and reaches for the long wooden spoon resting against the side of the pot. She returns to the pot and begins to stir the contents. As she does, her eyes begin to water. _"Umm.., is it supposed to irritate my eyes like this?"_ She muses curiously.

The liquid in the pot begins to boil at a rapid rate, causing a look of concern to spread across the witches face. "This isn't supposed to react like this!" She says in a concerned voice watching as the cauldrons contents begin to bubble and splatter loudly.

A moment later a loud popping sound is heard from within Hikari's small home. It is followed by Hikari herself emerging from her residence covered in a sticky red liquid.

"Damn, what went wrong?" She exclaims. "I thought I followed the potion correctly this time."

Dejected the blonde haired girl returns inside her now messy home. "First let's get this mess taken care of." She says softly. She looks around the room and puts her hands together. _"Bitte mach jetzt alles sauber."_ She chants, clapping her ands together and she finishes. A yellow light blazes around the room, disappearing a second after is began. Hikari smiles as she looks around her now spotless hut.

"_Now what went wrong this time?" _She ponders curiously.

The witch walks over to the potion book on the table and begins to go through the directions step by step. She pauses when she reaches the step that involves her addition of the red grass. Catching her eye this time however is a handwritten note on the side of the book. _"Only use the stems NEVER the leaves." _She recognized the handwriting as that of her mother, Prier.

"So that's what I did wrong." She sighs sadly. At that moment she could almost hear her mother's voice telling her to pay attention…

_-Flashback-_

"Now we must put in some red grass and cold spring water." An elder woman with medium length dirty blonde hair and piercing crimson eyes asks. She pauses a moment, waiting for the young girl next to her to respond.

"Hikari, did you hear me?" She asks in a semi sarcastic tone.

"Huh, did you say something?" The younger witch responds. "I didn't hear you."

"That's because you were staring off into space again. Now pay attention to what I'm saying."

"Yes mother." Hikari says sadly. "What was it that you needed?"

"I said we need some red grass and cold spring water." Prier repeats.

Once again Hikari fails to pay complete attention to her mother. "Uh, OK. Red grass and river water got it!" She chirps back.

"No! I said cold spring water, _not_ river water." Prier says sounding slightly miffed. "Now try to concentrate on the potion we're trying to make here." She adds, pointing to the black cauldron in front of them.

Hikari eyes the pot before her. "Alright, red grass and cold spring water got it! What's next?"

"Now we need to wait for it to come to a boil. In the mean time I'm going to check on something in the house. You stay here and watch the potion." Prier instructs before turning and walking away.

Hikari does as she's been instructed to do. Occasionally she uses a long wooden spoon to stir the kettles contents. As is begins to cook the young witch begins to notice a bitter odor coming from inside the pot.

"_This smells so bitter."_ She muses. _"I bet I can make it smell better."_

With that thought she walks over to a nearby storage shed and removes some blue grass. Returning to the now boiling kettle she quickly adds several of the blue colored plants to the concoction cooking in front of her. The younger witch steps back and smiles as the odor emanating form the boiling pot becomes sweet.

Hikari's mother returns a moment later and immediately notices the sickly sweet smell permeating the air. She looks over at her daughter and sighs. "You added something didn't you."

"Well, it was really smelly so I added some blue grass to make it smell better, and it worked too." Hikari replies with a smile.

"Well it may smell better now but in the process you've ruined the potion." Prier replies angrily.

Hikari sighs sadly. "I was just trying to be helpful."

"Hikari, you should know by now how important it is to follow the instructions. If you don't follow them step by step then nothing goes right." Prier states plainly.

"I… I'm sorry mother; I was just tying to make it better. Can we try again, please?" Hikari asks softly, her face looks like she's about to cry.

Prier walks over to her daughter and places her hand on her shoulder. "Of course we can. But it appears that we may need to go for some additional ingredients."

Hikari's mood seems to lift a little when she hears that they would try again. "Where do we need to go to get the ingredients?"

"We can find the red grass in the fields just beyond our village. However, we need to go into the forest to get the spring water." Prier explains carefully.

"Oh, do we really need to go into the forest?" Hikari asks sounding a little scared. "I hope it's not too deep into the forest."

"We only need to go to the spring which is at the center of the forest. But don't worry; I'll be there with you Hikari." Prier says in a comforting tone.

"Oh Ok, well let's go then!" Hikari chirps happily.

Hikari follows happily as Prier leads her out of their village in over to the nearby grassy fields. They quickly find the red grass as well as some of the other required ingredients and head towards the forest to find the spring.

As they walk into the densely forested area the available light begins to diminish drastically. Hikari moves closer to her mother's side. "Is it much further to the spring?" The younger witch asks.

"It's not much further from here." Prier replies. "Don't worry, it won't be long now."

Hikari relaxes a little and looks around at the forest surrounding her. Suddenly a bright flash of light of to her right side catches her attention. She pauses and looks intently in the direction that she saw the flash come from.

Prier notices that Hikari has stopped. "What's the matter Hikari is something wrong?"

"Look mother, it's a human." She replies, pointing at a man slumped against a large tree trunk.

"So it is." Prier replies plainly.

"He looks like he might be hurt or something; shouldn't we see if he needs any help?" Hikari questions curiously.

"Yes, I suppose we should." Prier agrees.

They turn and begin to approach the human and as they get closer, they can tell that he has indeed been hurt.

The man seems to be somewhat apprehensive at seeing the two witches approaching him and tries to stand.

"Don't worry human, we mean you no harm." Prier tells him as they approach.

"It looks like he's been hurt." Hikari says, pointing to blood on the man's leg. "Is he hurt badly?"

"He doesn't appear to be badly injured, but looks can be deceiving." Prier replies. She looks at the man a little more intently. "His leg is hurt the worst."

"What happened to you?" Hikari asks curiously. "How did you get hurt?"

"I was attacked by thieves and was wounded while defending myself against them.

"Stand back, Hikari." Prier says, placing her hand together and beginning to chant. A moment later a purplish aura appears around the man. Prier continues the spell for a moment more before clapping her hands together. As she does so the aura disappears.

Hikari stands in awe at her mother's powers of healing as the man stands up seemingly fully healed.

"I… I don't believe this. One minute I can barely move and the next I feel as though nothing ever happened." He says in a slightly amazed voice. "Did you do this?"

"Yes, I've used my healing powers to remedy your injuries." Prier replies.

"My mom is a very powerful Priestess in our clan. She can do all kinds of magical spells." Hikari says proudly.

"Magic huh, well I thank you for that. Without your help I doubt I would have survived." He replies.

Prier smiles back at him. "It's no problem. Are you from around here?"

"No, I'm a traveler and never stay in one place for very long." He answers. "I've been travelling for some time before I came across this forest."

"I see, well is there anything else that we can do for you?" Prier queries curiously.

"Well I really don't want to impose on your generosity." He replies sheepishly.

"Nonsense, if there's anything you need please ask." Prier states directly.

"Yes do ask, my mom can cast any spell in our spell book. Maybe she could use magic to transport you to the next town or something." Hikari adds.

"I'd really appreciate that." He replies. A moment later a loud rumbling sound comes from the man's stomach causing him to blush slightly. "I am a little hungry as well. But don't worry about that."

"Oh, why are you hungry? Haven't you been able to eat recently?" Hikari asks.

"Because I still…" He stops speaking as he checks his now empty pockets and sighs. "It's all gone… but I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I was ambushed by a group of thieves."

"Hey mom, shall we bring him back to the village and give him something to eat?" Hikari asks hopefully.

"I see no problem with that. It should be no trouble at all." Prier replies.

"Great, then let's get the spring water and head back to the village." Hikari says excitedly. "Oh do you know where the spring is?"

"Yes I do, it's over in this direction." He answers, pointing of to the left of where they are standing.

"Is that really the way?" Hikari questions Prier curiously.

The elder witch nods her head yes. "You must have passed the spring on your way here."

"Yes. I stopped briefly at the spring to have a rest. It's very relaxing there." The man replied. "I headed out just afternoon and that's when I was ambushed here." He adds sadly.

"I've heard tales of groups of bandits and wild animals that roam throughout this forest. It's best that we get what we need and return to the safety of our village as soon as possible." Prier states plainly.

As they walk off, the human appears to be deep in thought about something. He notices Hikari glancing his way at one point and gives her a smile.

"_I wonder what's on his mind."_ Hikari ponders curiously.

"They've done so much for me already. I should find a way to pay back their kindness." He says softly.

"Huh, did you say something?" Hikari asks curiously. "Hey mom, did the human say something to you?"

"No, he didn't." The elder witch answers. Prier looks over at the man walking with them. "Is there something troubling you?"

"Oh, well it's just that you two have done so much for me, I was just thinking that I should do something to re-pay you." He answers softly.

"Thank you for the consideration, but what could you do for us?" Prier questions intently.

"Well I was thinking, you said that we are going to your village to get something to eat, correct. Perhaps once we are there you will allow me the honor of preparing your meal for you." He explains.

"You can cook?" Hikari asks sounding surprised. "You're a male, and no males in our clan know how to cook."

"That doesn't surprise me in the least." The man states plainly. "Before I began my travels I was responsible for cooking after the death of my mother."

"Oh, I see. What do you think mom, shall we allow him to prepare or meal for us?" Hikari asks curiously.

"I don't see any reason why not. If he wishes to re-pay us by preparing a meal then I won't stop him." Prier answers. The elder witch is about to return to the path when something occurs to her. "You know something; we haven't been properly introduced yet. My name is Prier and this is my daughter Hikari."

The man smiles at the two women. "My name is William; it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." Hikari adds with a smile.

"Well now that all the introductions are out of the way let's get the spring water shall we." Prier says plainly.

"Yeah, it's starting to get dark and I really don't want to be out here after dark." Hikari states nervously.

"Of course, this forest is even more dangerous after dark. We must move quickly." Prier says as she begins down the path in the direction of the spring.

"Yeah, is it much further?" Hikari asks as she quickens her pace.

"We're almost there Hikari; it should be just up ahead." The elder witch replies.

"That's good." Hikari sighs, sounding a little relieved.

It takes 30 minutes to finally arrive at the softly bubbling spring. Prier hands Hikari a wooden bucket and the younger witch dips it into the flowing water. When the bucket is filled she removes it. The task now complete they begin back down the path in the direction of the witches' village.

The light filtering through the trees has all but faded, leaving the forest bathed in an eerie darkness.

"We need to get out of this forest as soon as possible. If we don't it's likely that we could be attacked or ambushed." Prier says with a sense of urgency in her voice.

Hikari moves closer to her mother. "Can't you use a spell of protection in the forest?"

"Yes I can, however it only lasts a short time." Prier answers.

"Can you please use it then? Hikari asks sounding quite scared. "I know that it's a short trip to the village but…" Her sentence is cut off by a loud crunching sound right in front of them.

"What was that?" William says as he starts to run forward towards the sound.

"No wait; my mom can use a spell to protect us!" Hikari shouts.

William stops and Hikari and Prier catch up to him. Quickly Prier begins to chant the spell of protection.

"Look out!" Hikari screams as the glint of large fangs lunging forward catches her eye.

_End of part 1! I know, I know, evil cliffhanger! Anyway please let me know what you think of this chapter with a review. Ja ne! _


	11. Potion Problems Part 2

_Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, __**Dancing Raindrop, Momo-chan12**__**, Lupi Loop, Moonlit Dreaming, The Scarlet Sky, **__and __**roxas-kh.**_

_A big thank you goes to __**Peach the Hedgehog **__for once again helping me with this chapter! _

_**A/N:**__ This chapter picks up where the previous chapter left off. _

_**Chapter 11: Potion Problems Part 2**_

"Look out!" Hikari screams as the glint of large fangs lunging forward catches her eye.

A second later a massive midnight black panther lunges across the path. William grabs his large hunting knife from its sheath. "Stand back, I'll try and slay it!" He shouts loudly, jumping in front of Hikari.

"There is no need for that!" Prier responds as she quickly chants a spell. A second later a bluish aura appears around them. For a moment the panther prowls the area around them, sniffing the air and pawing the path.

Hikari, realizing that her mother's spell has taken effect, reaches out and grabs William's arm. "William, stop! My mother has cast a spell of protection. We are safe, at least for the moment."

"But that panther is still right in front of us. How can we be safe?" William replies. "How can we get around it?"

Prier walks over to the weary traveler and smiles. "As long as the spell is protecting us we cannot be seen nor can we be detected. We are quite safe for the time being."

"Is that really true? So you are saying that we can simply walk past the panther?" William asks curiously.

"Of course it is!" Hikari chimes in happily. "My mother's spells are the most powerful in our clan." She adds proudly.

Prier smiles back at her daughter. "We must hurry though; I don't know how long I can maintain this spell."

The three begin back down the path. William watches in amazement as the simply walk past the menacing black cat. _"I guess we really are invisible."_ He muses curiously as he watches the panther sniff curiously in the spot where they were just standing.

"Come on, our village is just a short distance more." Hikari says plainly.

A worried look crosses William's face as he looks around. "Yeah, and who knows what else is out here."

"I agree." Prier says plainly. We should hurry."

They continue on towards the village. However, the inky black darkness surrounding them along with the entangling overgrowth slows their progress drastically.

Hikari hurries along as best she can, doing her best to the precious bucket of water from spilling. Her foot catches a twisting root and she falls hard on her side. "Ouch." She mutters as she works to stand back up. William steps over to the young witch and extends his hand.

"Need a hand?" He asks in a friendly tone.

"Yeah, thanks." Hikari replies simply as she accepts William's extended hand. Hikari looks back at her mother and smiles. "I didn't spill a drop!"

Prier smiles back but she can feel her energy level beginning to ebb. She knew that soon she would no longer be able to maintain the protection spell. "We need to hurry." She says, her voice sounding of urgency.

William looks at the elder witch's face and can see the stress beginning to form on it and begins down the path at an even quicker pace.

Hikari glances back and sees the expression on her mother's face. "We will make it, right?" She asks, desperation filling her once confident tone.

"We'll be just fine." Prier says reassuringly, placing her hand gently on her daughters shoulder. "You don't need to worry."

Hikari's expression became a little more confident. "Thanks mom." She replies simply and hurries on down the rough dirt path.

William hangs back a bit, concerned by the expression on Prier's face. "How long do you think that you can maintain this spell?" He whispers quietly.

Prier looks at him carefully. "I can't say for sure, we must keep moving."

They continue along the path, tripping and stumbling as the try to keep the quickened pace up.

Hikari pauses for a moment and looks at William. "Would you mind carrying this bucket for a little while, it's heavy."

"Yeah, I guess I can do that for you." He replies, taking the wooden handled bucket from her.

"_I can't hold this spell for much longer, I can feel my magical power waning with every passing moment."_ Prier thinks to herself worriedly. "We need to move faster."

Hikari senses the urgency in her mother's voice and looks over at William. "You need to stay close to us; my mother's spell is beginning to weaken. We need to hurry!"

William glances over at Prier and sees that she has her eyes closed in an attempt to keep herself focused. The traveler reaches down and opens the top of the sheath on his hunting knife, readying it for quick removal if needed. "I'll do my best to try and protect you if it comes to that."

They continue to make progress along the path, remaining silent for the most part. "The village is getting close now; it's just a little further. My mom can hold the spell for that long." Hikari says hopefully.

Unfortunaly for them Prier begins to falter, shaking her head in disbelief. "I.., I can't maintain it any longer." She gasps, falling to her knees.

Both William and Hikari move to her side. William places his arm on Prier's shoulder. "Do you need some help?"

Prier nods her head yes and accepts William's offer. Once Prier is back on her feet they continue on, weary of the fact that they are now vulnerable to the creatures of the forest.

"We need to hurry! Our village should be just ahead." Hikari says in a frightened voice.

William hears the sound of branches breaking just off to their front. He reaches down and removes his knife. _"We're almost there, gotta keep moving!" _He says silently to himself.

Prier moves next to Hikari and pulls the young witch next to her. Her thoughts at this moment are of protecting her daughter, wishing nothing more that her safety.

Hikari continues quickly down the path, apparently unaware of the danger

William steps next to Prier. "Did you hear that?" He whispers.

"Yes I did, we must be prepared." Prier states plainly.

"Hey Hikari, come and walk between us." Prier says, indicating that her daughter should move between herself and the traveler. "It'll be less frightening that way."

Hikari nods and moves between the two adults and they continue their way through the now inky blackness of the forest.

Prier looks into the inky darkness trying to focus on the source of the sounds. _"I don't like this..."_ She muses silently.

William too is on edge, he moves along cautiously, waiting for the attack he knows is about to come. _"I know you're out there, but what are you?"_

Suddenly the sounds of something rushing at them fill their ears.

"Look out, it's coming!" Prier shouts loudly.

William pushes Hikari behind him and prepares to defend her. "Watch out, Prier!" He shouts to the elder witch. She's already aware of the attack and is chanting a spell.

A bluish aura once again envelopes them and William looks back at Prier, who already seems to be struggling to maintain the protective barrier. "Prier, can you maintain another spell?"

Prier doesn't answer, she is focused on maintaining the spell. She can feel herself faltering but resolves to herself to protect Hikari from whomever or whatever was attacking them.

William senses the struggle within the elder witch and steps forward. "I'll protect you if it's the last thing I do!" He shouts boldly.

A shocked look fills Hikari's face. "No William, we need to keep going! The village is just up ahead."

Prier looses her focus when she hears more sounds coming from behind her, near… Hikari! She turns around and sees a glint of something shiny rushing towards her daughter.

William notices Prier and turns to face the pair, when he does, he to sees the flash of teeth just inches from the younger witch. "Hikari, look out!" He shouts, diving forward to defend the girl from the attacking panther.

"Ahhh…, my arm!" Hikari screams, grabbing at her arm where the panther's claws have opened up a deep wound.

William lunges past Hikari and repeatedly stabs the large cat with his knife causing it to retreat back into the inky blackness of the forest.

"Wha..., what was that?" A wide eyed Hikari asks in a fear filled voice.

"I think it was another panther." Prier answers. "But it appears that William was able to deter it's advances."

Hikari's pain filled moans grab the attention of her two elder traveling companions. Prier immediately turns her attention to her daughters bleeding arm. "Hold still, Hikari." She says softly.

The younger witch whimpers softly as her mother uses what little of her magical power to chant a spell of healing.

William watches in awe as a pink aura surrounds the girl's arm and the wound begins to heal.

Once her wound is healed Prier helps Hikari back to her feet. "Th…, thank you mom." Hikari says softly.

"You're welcome." Prier replies in a weak voice.

William moves over to Prier and helps the elder witch up. "Do you need my help, Prier?" He asks curiously.

"My mother is a powerful Priestess! She doesn't need your help!" Hikari argues loudly.

"It's alright Hikari." Prier responds sounding winded. "I could use a little help."

"What's wrong mom?" Hikari asks in a confused tone. "Why do you need his help?"

"I've used too much of my magical energy and it's caused me to become weakened. Don't worry; I'll be fine with a little rest." Prier reassures.

William continues to support the older woman as they once again begin to make their way to the village. "We need you to lead us to the village Hikari, your mother is exhausted."

"I…, I can do that." Hikari replies sounding scared but confident. "Come on, the village is just a little bit further."

It takes another 20 long minutes for them to finally arrive back at the village. Once there Prier explains to the elders why she's brought a human back with her. As promised William prepares a wonderful feast for Prier and her daughter, much to the disbelief of many in the village.

* * *

A loud knocking brings Hikari back from her daydream. She sighs softly and places the spell book down on the table and walks over to the door. Opening it see sees Jack smiling back at her. 

"Hi Hikari, I found some toadstools and thought that you could use them." He says happily, handing the blonde haired witch 6 large mushrooms.

"Thank you for this Jack." Hikari says as she accepts the gift. "I was just thinking that I could use some of these." She adds. "Would you like to come in and have some tea?"

"Yes, some tea might be nice." The farmer replies as he walks into Hikari's small home. Once inside Jack notices a slight burned odor in the air. "Umm…, are you cooking something Hikari?" He asks curiously.

"No, I'm not cooking anything right now." She answers. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it just kinda smells like you burned something, that's all." The farmer replies.

A slight blush appears on the witches face. "Oh, that must have been from earlier. I messed up a potion and it exploded." She replies softly. "I misread the potion in the book and missed a note left by my mother…" Her voice trails off as she thinks back to the time in the forest.

"I see. What kind of a potion was it?" Jack asks as he sips his tea.

"It was supposed to be a dream potion, but I messed it up, again!" She answers sounding frustrated. "It's just like when I was a kid… my mother was always having to make sure that I was adding the right ingredient or performing a spell correctly." She adds softly.

"You miss her don't you?" Jack asks in a compassionate tone.

"Yeah, I suppose I do. But I've gotten past it." Hikari answers.

Jack finishes his tea and checks his watch. "Sorry but I have to go." He says before standing up. "I have to get back to my farm and feed my animals."

"Oh, that's alright." Hikari replies, sounding a little disappointed. "I need to work on my potion again anyway." She picks up the toadstools and looks over them. "I can use these in my new potion."

Jack gets up and walks to the door. "I'll see you later Hikari." He says before opening the door and walking out.

"Good bye, Jack. Say, would you like me to teleport you back to your farm?" She asks curiously.

"Umm…, no thank you." He replies quickly. "It's a nice day so I'll walk." He adds not wanting to seem ungrateful.

Hikari watches as her friend heads down the stairs and turns towards his farm. Walking back inside, she picks up two of the toadstools and places them next to her cauldron. Opening the spell book the witch looks over the potions recipe, careful this time to look for any hand written notes.

She adds the ingredients and after stirring the contents together she adjusts the fire beneath the large black kettle. After a short time a pleasant aroma begins to permeate the air causing Hikari to smile.

"I think I have it right this time, mom…" She says softly, a slight smile appearing on her lips.

…_and cut! This chapter is done. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please read and review, thank you! Ja ne. _


	12. Her Rival Returns

_It's time to thank my wonderful reviewers, __**Moonlit Dreaming, **__**Lupi Loop, roxas-kh, **__and __**Tomorrow's Fragrance **__for their nice comments on the last chapter. I'm happy that you liked it and hope you enjoy this one as well! _

_**Disclaimer:**__ Nope, not mine. _

_Thank you, __**Peach the Hedgehog**__ for all your awesome help! _

_**Chapter 12: Her Rival Returns**_

Jack stepped out from inside his barn and dusted himself off. The crisp fall breeze blew briskly past him, causing a chill to run through the young farmer's body. His chores finally complete Jack turns and heads back towards the waiting comfort of the farmhouse.

Opening the door, Jack steps inside and immediately his nose detects the sweet smell of Hikari's special tea blend. He looks around but doesn't see the witch. Curious he walks over to the stove, where a small ceramic floral patterned tea kettle was boiling gently. Jack watches curiously as small wisps of steam slowly rise from the kettles spout.

"It's just about ready, will you want some too?" A voice behind Jack informs.

Jack turns and looks at Hikari and smiles. "Yeah, a nice cup of your special blend would be real nice about now."

"Fine, would you like some cookies too?" The blonde haired witch asks curiously.

"Did you make them? Jack asks, sounding a bit worried.

"Nope, I found them in your cupboard." Hikari answers plainly. "So, do you want them or not?"

"Nah, I'll pass this time." Jack replies. "I'm not really hungry right now. Say, what were you doing rummaging through my cupboard anyway?"

Hikari ignores the question and returns her attention to the tea kettle, carefully removing the pot from the burner and pouring the steaming brew into two cups. She puts the kettle down on the counter top and takes the cups over to the table. She places one down in front of Jack and the second at a place opposite of the farmer. As she sits down Jack notes the concerned look on the witch's face.

After taking a sip of the warm sweet tasting liquid Jack looked up at Hikari. "Is something troubling you? You look so deep in thought."

"You know Jack; you only need to return two more of the Harvest Sprites. Once those two are returned they will be able to combine their magical powers and return Rin to this world." Hikari explains plainly.

"Yeah I know that, I think it should happen pretty soon too," Jack states openly. "All I have to do is complete a few more tasks." He adds sounding upbeat and happy.

Jack notices that the witch's mood seems to sink further down by this revelation. "Are you worried about what will happen once Goddess Rin returns to the valley?"

"To tell you the truth, yes I am." Hikari answers softly.

"I wonder if she will be upset that you sent her away like that," Jack asks curiously.

"Most likely she will be, you know how sensitive she is," Hikari answers, sighing softly as she does.

"Yeah that's true, but she needs to understand that it was just an accident. You didn't mean to send her away. Or did you mean to do it?" Jack asks curiously.

"Of course not, why would I want to do that? I didn't mean to turn her to stone either!" Hikari retorts loudly.

"Yeah, I bet that really made her day!" Jack says with a laugh. "Haven't you two pulled pranks like that on each other before? I mean she's your rival after all!"

"Well of course we're rivals!" The witch states directly. "But she's always messing up the fun I plan to have. But that doesn't mean that I would…."

"It doesn't mean that you would do anything to hurt her, right?" Jack interrupts. "At least once she's back those annoying Harvest Sprites will finally leave me alone!"

"Yep, they are pretty annoying aren't they?" Hikari chuckles softly. "But you do realize that even once you bring Rin back there will be more sprites that will need to be found."

"Yeah, I know, there's what 100 or so of them altogether?" Jack replies.

"There are 101 of them to be precise," The witch informs plainly.

"Yeah, but I'm hoping that they will be too preoccupied with tending to Rin's needs to bother with annoying me," Jack answers. He looks at the witch sitting across from him. "Once she returns you won't leave the valley, will you?"

Hikari shakes her head no. "I don't have any intentions of leaving the valley just because Rin's back!"

Jack smiles back at the pretty blonde haired girl. "That's good to know. But will you return to your mischievous ways once she's back?" Jack asks curiously.

A sly smile crosses the witches face. "Yep, after all it's been a long time since I stirred up any trouble."

Jack laughs at Hikari's statement. "I just hope that you don't cause another riot! Marlin was pretty pissed off that night."

"Oh, well we'll just have to see about that." She says with a laugh. "Marlin just might end up with ants in his pants, or worse!"

"That's just what I'd expect from you." Jack adds with a laugh. His comment causes Hikari to laugh as well. Jack smiles as he sees the witches mood improving.

"Hey Hikari, um.., have you ever considered well… umm, maybe meeting someone, settling down and having a family?" Jack asks softly, he can fell his cheeks beginning to burn as he waits for the blonde haired girl's reply.

Hikari seemed to ponder the question for a few moments before answering. "Hm, I haven't really thought about that much, why do you ask?"

"Umm, no reason really. I was… I was just sorta curious, that's all." Jack replies nervously.

Hikari looks Jack in the eyes. "Well it's clear that something's on your mind. Come on, what's up?"

Jack clears his throat nervously. "Um, I was just wondering if you've ever had a boyfriend before."

"Actually, no I haven't," The witch replies almost immediately.

Jack sighs in apparent relief and takes another sip of his tea. "I see. Umm, it's not that I'm trying to be nosey or anything, I was just… well a little curious, that's all."

"Whatever you say…" Hikari giggles in reply.

Several minutes of silence pass as Jack and Hikari sip on their tea. Finally Jack looks over at the witch. "How long have you known Rin anyway?"

Hikari thinks for a moment. "Oh, I've known her for a long time, almost forever, or so it seems."

Jack shakes his head as he listens to the witch's answer. "I see. Has she always had that annoying "Tada" entrance of her's?"

"Yep, she sure has. I remember overhearing her say that she never gets tired of doing it." Hikari replies, sounding a little annoyed.

"I bet it really gets on your nerves, doesn't it?" Jack asks curiously.

"Yep, it sure does!" Hikari replies. "I just wanted to make sure that she couldn't do that "Tada" entrance ever again. Unfortunaly, that didn't go so well."

"Is that how all this began? I mean I remember seeing you and the Goddess talking but I really couldn't hear clearly what was being said. Now I finally know why." Jack states plainly.

Hikari nods in agreement. "Yeah, all I wanted to do was shut her up, but I ended up using the wrong spell and she was turned to stone. Then when I tried to fix it, I made a mistake again and ended up sending her away instead. I really didn't mean for it to happen that way."

"I see. And now she's about to return, her and that annoying "Tada" of hers!" Jack says plainly. "One good thing is that once she's back, everyone will finally leave you alone."

Hikari brings the teacup to her mouth and finishes drinking the contents. She places the cup back down on the table and smiles at the farmer sitting across from her. "Are you really sure about that Jack?"

"Well I can't say for sure, but I hope they do." Jack answers.

Hikari smiles and stands up. "We'll see Jack, we shall see." With that the witch heads towards the door.

"Yep, I guess we will." Jack adds as he stands and follows the blonde to the door.

"I'll check back with you once you return the final two sprites." Hikari informs as she walks out the door. "See ya later Jack."

"Take care Hikari." Jack replies as he waves to the departing blonde haired girl.

* * *

For the next week, Jack continued to work his farm. Taking care of his animals and harvesting crops. It was Tuesday when the 59th Sprite appeared before the shocked farmer.

"Ah!" Jack gasped in shock as the small sprite appeared before him. "I don't think I'll ever get used to you guys just popping up out if nowhere."

"Thank you for returning me budum!" The small man chirps before scurrying away towards the Sprite company tree.

Jack watched as the sprite disappeared from sight. _"Only one more sprite left. I hope nothing bad will happen to Hikari once the Goddess returns."_

The farmer returns to competing the task he was working on when the sprite made his appearance.

Later that week the scenario is repeated once again, as Jack returns the 60th Harvest Sprite to Forget Me Not Valley. The farmer watched as the small purple clad sprite skipped happily off in the direction of the Sprite company tree. He stood there and waited, waited for something to happen.

"Are you waiting for something special to happen?" Hikari asks as she walks over to the farmer. "Most likely you won't even know that Rin has returned until she makes an appearance." The witch informs plainly.

Jack looked over at the blonde haired girl standing next to him, noticing that she seems somewhat tense.

"Shall we head over to her pond and get it over with?" Jack asks curiously.

Together they head over to Rin's pond, preparing themselves for her annoying entrance. However, all that greeted them once they reached the shimmering pool was silence. Jack looked at Hikari curiously, but all the witch did was shrug her shoulders.

"I thought that Rin would be here ready to greet us?" Jack asks, sounding a little confused.

"Humph, if I know her she's just waiting for the right moment to poof in." Hikari responds, sounding slightly annoyed. "She's here, I can feel her presence."

"You are so right my sister!"

Jack and Hikari turned around and there she was hovering just above the pools shimmering water.

"Tada I'm back!" She chimes happily. "And I'm so happy that you have come to welcome me back Hikari." She adds with an elegant smile.

"Yeah, whatever you think." Hikari says plainly. "We just came to get it over with, that's all."

A curious look crosses the Goddesses face. "Get what over with?"

"You know what I mean, having to hear you say that annoying little saying of yours." Hikari retorts.

Once again the Goddesses take on a confused look. "I say something that you find annoying?

"Of course you do!" Hikari shouts. "That stupid "Tada I'm here" entrance of yours, do you how annoying everyone finds that?" The blonde haired girl questions curiously.

Rin looks over at Jack, who, up to this point had remained silent. "Do you find my entrance annoying Jack?" She asks in a curious tone.

The brown haired farmer hesitates before answering; looking quickly between Rin's smiling face and the scowl on Hikari's. As he gazes at the pretty blonde witch he makes his choice. "Yes. Yes I do find your entrance annoying." He replies.

"Hm, I see. That is indeed unfortunate Jack." Rin responds plainly. "I wouldn't have expected you to ally yourself with my sister. I warn you though; in the end she will just break your heart. Please keep that in mind."

"I will." Jack replies, sounding a bit unsure. In his mind he hoped that he'd made the correct choice. After all he was a farmer; his livelihood depended of the very thing that Goddess Rin controlled; nature.

"You know Jack; you didn't have to say that." Hikari spoke softly. "But thank you." She adds with a smile.

Jack returned the grin, knowing that even though he might have angered the Harvest Goddess, he's made someone special to him happy.

_And that's how this chapter will end! I hope that everyone who read this enjoyed it. Please take a moment to leave me your thoughts in a review. Ja ne! _


	13. To Dream a Dream

_Thank you to the following awesome people for taking the time to read and review the previous chapter: __**Laney-chan, DivineJudgment, Lupi loop, lulu, Moonlit Dreaming, Trying To Breakaway, Dancing Raindrop, **__and __**roxas-kh. **__Thank you so much!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Harvest Moon. Not now and not ever, sadly!_

_**Chapter 13: To Dream a Dream**_

Hikari stood next to the large black cauldron in the center of her home. She carefully added ingredients to the slowly cooking liquid inside the metal pot. After each item was added the blonde would stir the mixture for several minutes, insuring that everything blended correctly.

"Hm, I just need a couple more ingredients and then let it simmer overnight," Hikari said out loud. "I just know I'll get it right this time!" she added with a small smile.

Hikari checked her spell book and after double checking the ingredients in her hand, she adds them to the contents already brewing in the pot. Reaching over to her left the witch grabs a large wooden paddle and begins to carefully stir the caldron's sweet smelling contents.

After stirring for about ten minutes, the blonde haired witch removes the paddle and returns it to the table next to the caldron. A smile crosses the girls face as she takes a sniff on the simmering liquid. She adds a bit more wood to the slowly burning fire beneath the black kettle, adjusting the logs position so that they would focus their heat around the perimeter of the iron kettle. Once she was satisfied that everything was in order she wipes her hands and her face with a moist red towel. She then reaches down and removes the skull broach and takes off her shawl, placing it on the edge of her bed.

Hikari sat down on the edge of her comfy bed and removed her shoes. After a quick glance at the fire beneath the caldron the blonde lays her head own on her pillow and closes her eyes to sleep.

--

The suns warming rays danced across Hikari's face reminding her that yet another day has arrived in Forget Me Not Valley. A yawn escaped her lips as the witch sat up in her bed. She looks around the small confines of her hut, her gaze focusing on the black caldron dominating the center of her home.

A shiver passed through the witch as she traded the warmth of her yellow and blue feather comforter for the cool morning air. She pulled her shoes on and reached for her shawl, putting it over her shoulder and fastening it in place with her trademark skull broach.

Now dressed, the witch walks over and peers into the now semi cool kettle. She takes a quick sample of the fragrance emanating form the reddish liquid inside. Once again a smile fills the witch's face; however, it is soon replaced with a questioning look.

"Um, who can I get to try this?" She wondered out loud. She thought about the question foe a couple of minutes, suddenly snapping her fingers. "That's it! Jack can test this for me." Hikari's smile returned as she walked over to a cabinet and removed several medium sized clear glass bottles. She returned to the caldron and places the bottles on the table. She picks up a silver ladle and one of the bottles. Carefully she begins to transfer the liquid to the bottles. Once four of the bottles are filled she places caps on them and cleans the bottles.

For the remainder of the morning the blonde goes about her normal routine. At just past noon she hears a knock on the door of her hut. Smiling she walks over to the door to greet her guest.

Opening the door, she sees a familiar face smiling back at her. "Hello Hikari, how are you doing today?" The brown haired farmer said in a cheerful tone. "I brought you some red grass that I found near Daryl's lab," he added, handing the poisonous plants to the girl standing before him.

"Thank you Jack, I really like this." Hikari said, a small blush filling her cheeks. "Please, come inside Jack." She added, opening the door and allowing the farmer to walk inside.

Jack entered the now familiar confines of the witch's hut. As he does so, he notices the sweet smell in the air. He looks over at the witch, who was standing just to his left.

"Have you been cooking something sweet?" Jack asked curiously. "There is such a sweet aroma in the air."

"I have indeed," Hikari replied, sounding pleased with herself. "And I think I've even gotten it right this time.

Jack looked a little confused as Hikari walked over to a shelf and withdrew a bottle containing a reddish liquid. She walked over to the farmer and handed him the glass container.

"May I ask a favor of you, Jack?" Hikari asked in a hopeful tone. "I've finally perfected my dream potion, but I can't try it myself and I was hoping that you could try it for me."

The farmer takes the bottle and looks at it curiously. "Um, what exactly will it do to me?" he questioned curiously.

"Well, first it will put you to sleep, and then you will experience a wonderful dream," the witch explained. "The whole thing shouldn't last much longer than 20 or 30 minutes."

"I guess it can't hurt to give it a try," Jack said, trying to hide the nervous tone in his voice. "I just hope that it doesn't turn me into some kind of animal."

A stern look filled the blonde haired girls face. "What do you mean by that? Don't you trust me?" The witch demanded.

"Um, sure I do Hikari. It's just that…, well you know, you don't always get your spells to go as planned."

A hurt expression replaces the look of anger on the girl's face. "You don't have to try it if you don't want to, I understand."

Seeing the look on his friends face, Jack opened the bottle and took a quick taste. Finding the taste sweet he places the bottle back to his lips and drinks deeply, emptying the bottle.

Hikari watched curiously for any signs that something was about to happen. But all Jack did was lie down and close his eyes. However, a short time later the witch noticed that the young farmer was smiling. She stepped over and sat down next to him. It was then that she noticed that he was talking in his sleep.

Leaning down, she tried to make out what the brown haired boy was saying. Unfortunately, all that she could hear was gibberish. She was about to stand back up when Jack began to speak in words that she could understand.

The farmer's voice began to trail off as he did so. Hikari listened intently, trying to understand what he was saying.

"_There are so many pretty girls here in the valley, but one…., she stands apart from the rest."_ He muttered softly. _"She's a loner and most likely misunderstood by the other residents of the valley." _

Hikari wondered just who Jack was referring to. The first thought to cross her mind was the red headed girl Nami. After all, she was a loner. However, the witch couldn't remember ever seeing Jack talk to the reclusive traveler.

She leaned back down and listened again, wondering if she would hear more about this mystery girl.

"_The way the moon sparkles in her crimson eyes, the way her sandy blonde hair falls across her shoulders in the wind…"_

Hikari sat up quickly. Crimson eyes and blonde hair; could Jack be talking about her?

"… _I want to spend the rest of my life with her…. I love her, my sweet Princess…, Hikari."_

Hikari's face flushed a deep shade of red. Was it really true? Did this mortal really love her? Or was it simply a reaction to her potion. She decides that, once he woke up that she'd ask him about it.

About a half hour later Jack woke up. He looked around and saw Hikari sitting at the table. It appeared that she was reading something. The farmer slipped of the bed and walked over to the witch, sitting down next to her.

As Hikari looked up at Jack she could feel her cheeks beginning to warm. "So, how was your dream?" She asked curiously.

"It was pretty interesting," Jack replied. "For some reason though, I can't really remember much, if anything, about it."

"Oh, I see." Hikari said. "That's too bad; I would have liked to know what you experienced while under the spell's effect."

Jack looked curiously at the blonde haired girl. He noticed that as she looked at him her cheeks reddened.

"Um, Hikari, is something the matter? You seem to be blushing about something." Jack said curiously. "Did I say something embarrassing while I was under the spell?"

"No you didn't. Not really." Hikari answered softly.

A curious look fills the farmers face. "What do you mean, not really?"

"Can I ask you something Jack?" The witch stammered.

"Sure, ask away." Jack answered happily.

"I was just wondering if, well… um, there was someone you really liked." She finally said.

Jack sat back and thought about the question for a few minutes before answering. "Yes. I do have someone I hold special in my heart."

"Oh, I see." Hikari replied softly. "If I may ask, is it someone I know?"

Jack smiled back at the girl. "Yep, in fact you know her better that anyone."

Hikari's cheeks reddened even further. "I do?"

"Of course you do! The girl I really like is you after all." Jack answered with a happy smile.

"D.., do you mean that?" Hikari asked in disbelief. "But I am the Witch Princess. Doesn't that concern you?"

"Nope, that doesn't bother me at all." Jack answered. "I really like you Hikari, no matter who you are." He added.

Hikari stood up and embraced the farmer in a hug. "I really like you as well Jack." She whispered sweetly.

--

That evening as Hikari got herself ready for bed she glanced over at the remaining bottles of her dream potion.

"_I wonder what effect it would have on me." _She pondered silently. She slid back off her bed and walked over to the shelf. After a tentative moment, she picked up one of the bottles and removed the cap. Slowly she brought the bottle to her lips and poured a small amount of the sweet tasting elixir into her mouth.

She walked back over and lied back down, covering herself with her fluffy comforter. As her eyes fluttered closed she felt herself drifting off to dreamland.

"_Hikari, can you come here for a moment please?" Her mother, Prier asked. _

_A younger looking Hikari walked over and stood next to her mother. "You called me mom?" The young witch asked curiously. _

'_Yes, I need you to run an errand for me. Could you please go to the forest and find some magical herbs for me?" Prier asked. _

"_Sure, I can do that." Hikari replied happily. _

_Prier smiled and handed her daughter a small slip of paper listing the herbs that she needed to find. Hikari looked at the list for a few minutes before folding it and placing it into her pocket. _

_For the next couple of hours the young witch scoured the forest in search of the magical herbs listed on the paper. The sun had begun to disappear beneath the horizon when Hikari finally found and collected the last herb on the list. Smiling, the young witch headed back to her village, _

_But has she neared the outskirts of the village she paused, even to her still developing senses, something wasn't right. Cautiously Hikari made her way the remaining distance to the village's main entrance. As the village came into view the young witch became alarmed when she saw that there was no one to be seen. _

_Feeling panic beginning to set in, the young witch discards caution and runs to the village. As she arrives she is greeted by a horrifying sight. All around the village lay the bodies of her clansmen. A gasp escapes her lips as she realizes that the village had been attacked while she was away. A look of shock and fear fills the blonde haired witches face as she sees her mother on her hands and knees, struggling to remain conscious. She looks up when she hears Hikari's gasps. _

"_Hikari, run, you cannot remain here!" Prier shouted desperately. "If you enter the village you will die!"_

"_B…, but what about you, I can't leave you here!" Hikari replied. _

"_You have no choice Hikari, while you were away a rival clan attacked our village and cursed us to a painful death. I've only been able to survive this long due to my exceptional magical powers." Prier gasped. "Run Hikari, run and don't look back!" The elder Priestess said as she collapsed to the ground. _

_Hikari felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched her mother fall. She turned and began to run as fast as she could, not looking back, just as her mother ad told her. _

Hikari sat up with a jolt with the memory of the dream still fresh in her mind. As she sat there, she could feel tears welling in the corners of her eyes. _"Why was Jack's dream so pleasant and mine so horrible?"_

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Hikari lay back down and pulled the soft comforter up around her. _"I guess I now know why there was the warning in the spell book about using a dream potion of your own creation." _

Sighing softly, Hikari once again closed her eyes to sleep. This time though, she hoped that her dreams would be visited by a certain brown haired farmer.

_Yay me! I've finished another chapter and it didn't take a month to do! I hope everyone likes this chapter. Please do take a moment and leave me your feedback in a review. Ja ne! _


	14. A Special Day

_I'd like to say thank you to the following awesome readers for their reviews of the last chapter, __**DivineJudgment, Kelley 28, Laney-chan, Moonlit Dreaming, roxas-kh, **__and of course __**Peach the Hedgehog**__. I really love to hear what you have to say. _

_This chapter is dedicated to__** Peach the Hedgehog **__for being the 100__th__ person to review this story. Thank you for your support! _

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own any part of Harvest Moon, so don't sue me. _

_**Chapter 14: A Special Day**_

For the next week Jack worked on his farm along with arranging to have his house upgraded. After all, he couldn't expect to have his Princess live in such a small home. He stepped back and watched as Gotz, the master carpenter form nearby Mineral Town, put the finishing touches on the final upgrade. With a smile on his face, Jack walked over to the carpenter.

"Wow, that looks great! And it only took you four days to complete it," Jack said in admiration.

"Well, we did our best after all," The carpenter replied, a proud smile adorning his face as he spoke.

"I'm sure that Hikari will be happy to live here," Jack added

"Hikari, hmm, I don't think I know her. Doesn't she live with Vesta?" Gotz questioned curiously.

"No, that's Celia," Jack answered. "Hikari lives by herself in the hut next to Madame Romana's villa."

"Um, isn't that where the witch lives?" Gotz asked.

"Yes it is, her name is Hikari," Jack answered softly.

"Ah, I see," the carpenter responded. "Well, I'm not one to judge people just because of what they are. I hope she likes what we've done." He added.

"I'm sure she will," Jack replied.

Gotz nodded in agreement before returning to the task at hand. Jack turned and walked out into one of his fields to wait for him to finish.

--

The sound of his roosters crowing roused the brown haired farmer from his sleep. Jack slipped out of his bed and headed over to the shower to get ready of the day ahead. After eating breakfast, the young farmer walked outside and over to the barn to take care of his morning chores. Smiling he tends to his cows and sheep, making sure that they had full feed bins and fresh water before heading back outside.

Jack closed the door and made sure the latch was engaged before heading over to his chicken coop. About half way across the farmyard he hears someone calling out to him. Stopping and looking over at the direction the voice came from Jack sees Takakura waving to him.

Jack walks over to the elder man and greets him. "Hello Takakura, how are you today?"

"I'm doing well, thank you for asking," The elder man replied. "Why do you need to go to Mineral Town today?" He questioned curiously.

"I, um… I have something important that I want to pick up from the market," Jack answered with a nervous tone to his voice.

"Something important huh, well it doesn't sound as though you want to talk about it so I won't press you further," Takakura stated plainly.

"Thanks," Jack replied simply. "I should be back around dark. I've already taken care of the animals and watered the crops. All you need to do is gather the eggs and feed the chickens."

"Alright, take care on your trip and say hello to Jeff and Sasha for me," Takakura replied before turning and heading towards the farms chicken coop.

Jack watches him for a moment before heading into the farmhouse to pick up some snacks and drinks for his trip. Closing the door behind him, Jack heads out for the journey to Mineral Town.

--

Karen sat quietly behind the counter of her parent's store. It was a slow day and the blonde haired girl was idly thumbing through a magazine when the bell over the door rang, announcing the arrival of a customer.

She looked up from the magazine and recognized the farmer from nearby Forget Me Not Valley. "Hello Jack," She chirped happily. "What can I do for you today?"

"I came here to buy something special," Jack replied, his voice once again sounding nervous.

"You came to buy something special?" Karen questioned as she moved from behind the counter and over to the brown haired farmer. "Are you sure we have what you're looking for in stock?"

"Yep, I called yesterday and confirmed it with your Father. He told me that he would put it aside for me."

Karen's face lit up as she realized what the special item was. "I see," she replied with a grin. "Dad did tell me he put one away, but he never told me who it was for." She walked back behind the counter and after a bit of rummaging around she stands back up. In her hands is a plain brown box. She walks back over to the farmer and hands it to him.

"Here it is. Dad told me to knock 100G off of the price since you are a regular customer," the blonde explained. "So your total is 900G."

Jack smiled and withdrew a brown leather bag from his back pack and handed it to Karen. "Thank you Karen." Jack said as he accepted the box.

"Go ahead, take a look at it. You know you want to," Karen said with a smile.

Jack nodded and removed the cover, revealing a beautiful azure feather sitting atop a pearl white cloth.

"I'm sure whoever the lucky girl is, that she'll love it." Karen said with a smile.

"I hope so." Jack said softly. "Oh, before I forget, would you tell your parent's that Takakura says hello."

"Sure thing Jack, I can do that for you. Good luck," Karen added with a wave as Jack headed out the door.

Jack paused once he was back outside. He opened the box and watched as the suns rays simmered off of the surface of the feather. After a few minutes he returned the cover to the box and placed it into his backpack.

--

The walk back to Forget Me Not Valley takes Jack until just after the sun has set. As he enters the small village he smiles and heads over to a small hut at its far end. He can feel his heart begin to beat harder in his chest as he ascends the stairs towards Hikari's hut.

He's relieved to see that there are no lights on, meaning that the witch wasn't home. He quickly walks up to the door and slips a small letter under the door, before hurrying away back towards his farm.

Hikari had been out for a short walk. When she returns and opens the door to her hut she finds the letter. Curios, the blonde picks up the letter and opens it.

_Dear Hikari,_

_Please meet me tomorrow around noon at the Goddess pond for a special picnic. I'll bring you some Rainbow Curry since I know that's your favorite. See you then._

_Jack_

A look of curiosity fills the witch's face as she re-reads the words on the paper. _"It's not like Jack to invite me on a picnic."_ She muses silently. _"I guess I'll find out tomorrow."_

--

Jack walked up to the Goddess pond knowing that he was a little early. He set a red and white checkered cloth down on the ground and placed a brown wicker basket in the center. He sits down and nervously waits for a certain blonde haired girl to arrive.

Hikari walked quietly up the path to her sister's pond. As she turned the corner she sees Jack sitting on the checkered cloth with his back turned to her. Always in the mood for some mischief, a smile appears on the witches face as she silently chants a spell. A soft giggle escapes her lips as the watches a large water balloon materialize above Jack's unsuspecting head.

Jack notices a shadow and looks up just in time for the balloon to burst, soaking the brown haired farmer. "Ah! What's this?" He shouted in shock.

"Ha! Jack, you should have seen the look on your face," Hikari laughed as she joined the wet farmer on the checkered cloth. "You looked like you were a little warm so I thought I'd cool you off." She added with a giggle.

"I should have figured it was you," Jack said with an exasperated sigh. "But now I'm all wet," he complained.

"I'll take care of that," The witch answered with a grin. She chants a quick spell and in a flash Jack finds himself completely dry. "So, why have you asked me here Jack? I know it wasn't just to give me some curry."

"Um, ah…, there was a reason." The farmer spluttered. "I have a question for you. But first, let's eat. This curry tastes best while it's still warm." He added, reaching into the basket and removing the container with the curry. He then reaches inside and removes two plates and a spoon. Placing a helping of the curry and rice on Hikari's plate, he hands the dish to the blonde haired girl who eagerly accepts it.

"This tastes wonderful!" Hikari said between bites. "I think this is your best attempt at rainbow curry yet."

Jack smiled back at the witch and finished the curry on his plate. He watched as Hikari ate the rest of her food, handing him her empty plate once she was finished.

"That was very good Jack. Now, what was the question you wanted to ask me?" The blonde questioned curiously.

Jack stood up and asked Hikari to join him. The witch did as he asked and watched curiously as the brown haired farmer reached in to his backpack, taking out a plain brown box.

She watched curiously as Jack dropped to one knee in front of her. He opened the box and took out the shimmering Blue Feather.

Jack looked up at the girl in front of him and smiled nervously. Taking a deep breath, he hands the feather to the girl. "Hikari, I love you more than anything in this world. Would you please marry me?"

A deep blush fills Hikari's face as she realizes what has just been asked of her. "Jack, why don't we go to your house and talk about this." She chants a quick spell and teleports them back to Jack's farm. Hikari looks at the surprised farmer and smiles. "I just didn't want Rin to interrupt us."

Jack smiled in understanding and once again took a position on one knee in front of the blonde haired girl. "Hikari, I love you more than anything in this world. Would you please marry me?"

The blush returns to the witch's face and she smiles. "I should have seen this coming, after what you said before. You are a wonderful person, Jack. You seem to be the only person who truly understands me. Because of you, I won't have to worry about trying to make love potions anymore." Hikari said happily as she accepts the Blue Feather from the farmer in front of her. "Sure, I'll marry you!"

Jack smiles as he stands up and embraces his fiancée. He feels tears filling his eyes as he begins to speak. "Thank you Hikari, you've made me the happiest person in the world." With that, he closes his eyes and kisses Hikari passionately.

The kiss was a bit of a surprise to the witch, but soon she found herself returning it, enjoying the wonderful feeling of Jacks lips pressed upon her's. The only other time that a mortal had kissed her had been the result of a love potion that she had given him. But it was never as good as the kiss she was receiving now… a kiss from the man who truly loved her.

After the kiss Jack looked deep into the pretty crimson eyes of the person he loved more than life itself. 'I'm sure we will have a wonderful life together."

"I'm sure we will." Hikari said in agreement. "About the wedding, I think it would be best if we had a private wedding here."

"I agree, given most people's opinions of you." Jack replied. "I don't want anyone to spoil our special day."

"I agree, especially if Rin were to poof in with her annoying tada. I'm sure she'd find some way to spoil it." Hikari said sounding slightly annoyed at the mention of her Goddess sister.

"Most likely, her and those annoying little Harvest Sprites." Jack said in agreement as he pulls Hikari back into another warm hug.

Hikari finds herself accepting the hug and in fact, she finds herself pulling Jack tightly against her body, enjoying the feeling of his warmth.

After a few minutes, Jack stepped back and looked at Hikari curiously. "Who do you think we should ask to come to our wedding?"

"Hm, well I really don't have anyone to invite," Hikari replied. "You may invite whoever you'd like."

"Alright, of course we have to ask Mayor Thomas, since he's the one who will perform the ceremony. I was also thinking that I would like to ask Celia and Muffy." Jack explained. "Both of them have been good friends to me since I came to the valley."

"Sure, I don't mind that at all." The witch replied. "I'm sure you wouldn't want our enemies coming so I trust your choices."

"That's for sure." Jack chuckled. With a smile he drew Hikari back into yet another hug. "You know, I feel so special that you accepted my proposal. After all, you are a Princess."

A slight sigh escapes the blond's lips. "I suppose I can understand that. But I'm the last of my clan and when you think about it, I'm not much of a Princess anymore. That title is pretty meaningless to me now."

"I know what you mean." Jack began, a smile appearing on his face. "But it doesn't have to stay that way forever. If you know what I mean." He added with a sly wink.

A smile reappears on Hikari's face as she catches the wink. "I suppose I do know just what you mean…"

--

The next week passed by seemingly in the blink of an eye and as the sun rises on Pallet Farm, even a green haired Goddess finds herself feeling happy about the event soon to take place there.

Just before noon a portly man dressed in a red suit and sporting a matching top hat walks up to the farmhouse and knocks on the door, a moment later Jack, dressed in his finest suit opens the door and allows the stout man inside.

"Good day Jack, I'm happy to be here to officiate your wedding." Thomas said as he shook the farmer's hand. "So who is the lucky lady? You never did tell me."

"You'll see in just a few moments." Jack answered. "She's with Muffy and Celia getting ready."

"Oh, I see." The Mayor answered.

Jack offers the portly man refreshments which he gratefully accepts. The two men chat idly as they wait for Jack's bride to appear from the bedroom. 10 minutes later the bedroom door opens and the first girl to step out was Muffy. She was wearing a pastel pink dress accented with small red and white ribbons. Her hair is down as it usually is. However, she has a pink ribbon in it.

She is followed by Celia, who's wearing a light blue dress accented with white ribbons. Her hair, normally held down by her bandana, has been brushed out and is also accented with a pink ribbon similar to Muffy's.

Finally Hikari steps out of the room. An audible gasp escapes Jack as he gazes upon her. She's wearing a black dress fringed in gold. She has a red cape that is fastened to the back of her dress. Around her waist she has a beaded belt that is fastened in front with skull shaped buckle. Two strands extend from the skull and are ordained with two yellow beads on each. Her hairstyle has two buns on either side with the remainder of her long sandy blonde hair flowing behind her. Lastly she has a decorative headband with a yellow bead in the center.

Jack walks over to his future wife and smiles happily. "You look simply radiant!" He said as he took hold of her hand. Celia and Muffy join Jack and his bride. Muffy stood next to Hikari and Celia next to Jack.

Mayor Thomas steps in front of Jack and Hikari and gives them a small smile. "As you have asked, I will conduct the ceremony." He began. "However, getting married to a witch is a bit shady if you ask me." He added in a lower voice.

A frown crosses Jack face as he hears what the red suited man said. "That doesn't matter to me! I love Hikari and that's what's important."

"Yes, yes of course." The Mayor spluttered. "Please pardon my rude comment."

Jack nodded in acknowledgment and a smile returned to his face.

"Shall we begin then?" Thomas asked curiously. He turned slightly to face Hikari. "First I shall ask the bride. Will you promise to love Jack so long as you both shall live?"

A blush appeared on the blonde haired witch as she listened to the Mayor speak. "Yes, I do." She answered happily.

Mayor Thomas then shifted his feet to allow him to face Jack. "Good! Now I shall ask the groom. Will you promise to love Hikari forever?"

"I promise to love her for forever and beyond." Jack replied with a broad smile.

The Mayor smiled and turned to face both Jack and Hikari once again. "How wonderful!" Thomas said with a smile. "So, by the powers vested in me as Mayor, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Jack turned and happily embraced Hikari and placed a passionate kiss upon her soft ruby red lips. Hikari watched him approach and welcomed her husband's kiss, returning it with equal passion. After a few moments they separate.

"Congratulations Jack!" Muffy giggled. "I'm sure you and Hikari will have a wonderful life together."

"Yes, I certainly agree." Celia added. "I wish you all the best Hikari." The brown haired farming girl said with a smile.

"Thank you." Jack said gratefully. "I'm sure that I will, just as long as I have Hikari next to me."

"Yes, thank you all." Hikari added happily. "Now please help yourself to food and drink!"

For the remainder of the day there is a small but festive party at Pallet Farm. That evening once everyone had departed and the farm's evening chores taken care of, Jack and his new bride turn the lights out and retire to bed.

A nervous Hikari lay down and pulled the soft blue and yellow comforter up around her. She turned her head and smiled at her husband. "Jack, I've never slept together with anyone other than my mother. Please excuse me if I seem to be… um…"

Jack giggled and pulled the blonde haired girl close to him. "Don't worry; this will be my first time too."

_I hope everyone liked this chapter. I put a lot of thought into just how I wanted to handle the proposal and wedding. I want to thank **Peach the Hedgehog** for helping me get everything sorted out. Please take a moment and let me know your thoughts with a review. Ja ne! _


	15. Trial and Error

_Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, __**Moonlit Dreaming, Trying to Breakaway, DivineJudgment, roxas-kh, **__and __**The Scarlet Sky. **__You're comments are really appreciated! _

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Harvest Moon. It's owned by Marvelous Interactive. So don't sue me!_

_**Chapter 15: Trial and Error**_

Celia walked down the stairs form her room. A smile was on the brown haired girl's face as she walked over to her caregiver, Vesta. The large woman smiled back at the young girl as she approached.

"Good morning, Celia. You seem happy today."

"Good morning, Ms. Vesta," the brunette replied. "Yes, I'm happy that Jack was finally able to marry the girl he loves."

Vesta raised her eyebrow slightly. 'Jack got married? When did he do that? I don't remember seeing a wedding festival or anything."

"Well, he had the ceremony on his farm, that's why," Celia answered softly.

"I see. Who was the lucky girl?' The elder woman asked curiously. "Didn't he have a thing for Muffy?"

"Nope it wasn't Muffy. She was there, but it wasn't her," Celia replied. "Jack married Princess Hikari," she added after a bit of hesitation.

A look of confusion momentary filled Vesta's face as she thought about the name. "Princess Hikari? Do you mean the Witch Princess?" she asked with interest.

"Yes, that's who I mean," the younger girl replied.

Vesta sighed softly before she spoke. "I see. Well, I can't say that I agree with his choice of girls. However, if they are happy together and they really love each other… I just hope the Harvest Goddess doesn't become upset."

"I don't really think that it bothers her all that much," Celia responded." And Princess Hikari really isn't a bad person."

The girl's elder caretaker sighed once again. "That may be true. Still, I can't say that I totally trust her intentions in this."

"Did I just hear you right? That stupid farm boy has gotten himself married to that witch?" Marlin questioned sarcastically as he walked into the room.

A frown crossed Celia's face. 'You're still on that kick Marlin? Princess Hikari is not an evil person! And yes, you heard me right, Jack married her!"

"Now why the hell would he go and do something so stupid?!" Marlin spat out. "I know he said that he supposedly had feelings for her, but to have actually married that… that... that witch! I can't believe it!

Celia shook her head at her elder housemate's remarks. "Give it a rest, Marlin."

Sensing trouble, Vesta stepped between the two. "Stop this bickering you two!" The elder woman said sternly. She looked at Marlin. "If Jack chooses to marry the Witch Princess then that's his concern, not yours!"

"We'll see about that!" Marlin said before turning and stomping towards the door.

"Just where are you going in such a huff?" Celia questioned curiously.

"I'm going to go and see Mayor Thomas! There is no way he could let such a sham of a marriage stand!" Marlin answered angrily. "I'll find some way to have this voided!" With that he stormed out the door and headed in the direction of Mineral Town and the Mayor's office.

* * *

Mayor Thomas was just about to sit down and enjoy his 14th cream puff of the day when the door to his small office was thrust open. Shocked, the portly man let out an audible yelp and dropped the cream puff. He looked down at the ruined pastry lying at his feet before looking up to see who had so rudely entered. What he saw was an angry young man looking back at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Mayor demanded, himself angry at having his favorite food lying at his feet instead of in his belly. "Who are you? And why are you here?"

"My name is Marlin and I live over in Forget Me Not Valley," Marlin answered. "Last week you preformed a wedding there and I'm here to formally protest it!"

"A wedding in the valley, you say?" Thomas questioned back. After thinking for a couple of minutes the Mayor replied. "Yes, I do remember officiating a wedding there. It was a lovely event, even if I don't fully support the young man's choice in brides."

"Yeah, that's what I'm here about!" Marlin half shouted in reply. "I can't just sit back and accept the fact that you allowed the farm boy to marry a witch."

"Well I may not agree with his choice of girls, but I cannot stand in the way of two people who truly love each other," The portly man responded. "Their marriage is legal and binding."

"You've got to be kidding?" Marlin retorted in shock. "There must be some law that forbids such a sham marriage! I want you to void it immediately!"

"I will do no such thing!" Thomas answered in an angry tone. "As I just told you, their marriage is legal and there is nothing you can do to reverse that."

"Are you telling me that nothing can be done?" Marlin argued back.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you!" The Mayor replied. 'Now, if you've nothing more for me I'll ask you to leave. I'm a busy man after all!"

Marlin looked down at the ruined pastry still sitting at the Mayor's feet. "Yeah, I wouldn't what to keep you from your duties now would I?" Marlin retorted sarcastically as he turned to exit the Mayor's office.

Once outside Marlin headed towards Doug's Inn to drown his anger a bit before heading back to the valley.

* * *

Vesta had just finished up with her afternoon chores when she spotted Marlin approaching. He was looking a little unsteady as he headed towards the house causing the elder woman to assume that his meeting with Mineral Town's Mayor hadn't gone the way he'd wanted it to. Curious she walks towards him.

"So, I guess your trip was a waste of time?" Vesta questioned curiously.

'Yeah, Mayor Thomas won't do anything!" The young man replied with a bit of a slur to his voice. "All he cares about are his damn cream puffs!"

"Well, I could have saved you the trip," Vesta began. "I knew Thomas wouldn't void Jack's marriage to the Witch Princess. After all, even she should have the opportunity to be loved."

Celia, hearing the commotion out in the yard opened the door and walked out. She saw Vesta and Marlin several feet away and decided to walk over to them to see what all the commotion was about. As she approached she heard Marlin spout off about how he thought the Harvest Goddess would react.

"If you're worried about the Harvest Goddess, I don't think that should be a problem. After all, don't you think she'd done something by now if she was upset?" The brown haired girl questioned intently.

Marlin glared down at his younger housemate. "I just hate the very thought of it! She's a cold, heartless, evil person!"

Celia shook her head and placed her hands on her hips. "Give me a break, Marlin. You make all of these assumptions about Princess Hikari, but you really don't know anything about her!"

"Oh and I suppose you do?" Marlin asked, a sarcastic tone filling his voice.

"I know her better than you apparently do," The brown haired girl retorted angrily.

"That's enough you two!" Vesta said as she stepped in between them. "I told you that I didn't want to see you two squabbling. Now knock it off!"

"Even if you say so Celia, I won't accept it," Marlin growled.

Celia remained silent for a few moments, looking at Marlin with her arms crossed. Finally she spoke. "I just wish you'd be a little more open minded about this."

Vesta looked at Marlin and gave him a weak smile. "Why don't you go out and get some fresh air. That might help you to clear your head."

"Yeah, whatever, I guess I could walk over to the Blue Bar," Marlin sighed before turning and heading towards the door.

"I doubt that you need more to drink Marlin," Celia noted as she watched the elder boy walk out.

Marlin just shook his head and continued outside, closing the door behind him as he left.

Celia looked up at her elder caregiver and sighs. "When will Marlin give up on this? Princess Hikari isn't a bad person. Sure, she likes to play the occasional prank, but she's never done anything harmful to anyone."

"I'm not sure." Vesta replied. "Somehow I don't think that he'll ever accept the facts about the Witch Princess."

Celia sighed once again. "I suppose so; it's just that he's so closed minded about her."

"Yeah, I suppose to some extent he is," Vesta responded. "You have to realize that not everyone will accept this. You have to admit though, this is unusual."

A small smile filled the younger girl's face. "Well, I suppose you're right. But Jack is really happy with Princess Hikari. And she's not as bad as some people might think."

"That may be true," Vesta sighed. "I do hope that they have a wonderful life together."

"So do I, Ms. Vesta. So do I." Celia agreed, sounding a bit more upbeat and happy.

* * *

On the other side of the valley Marlin has just entered the Blue Bar. He walked inside and over to the bar. The bar's blonde haired hostess walked over to ask what he'd like to have.

"I'll have a beer," he replied plainly, still irritated about the events of the day.

"I'll get that right away," Muffy bubbled in reply before heading back to the bar.

"May I join you?" A voice asked from behind. Marlin instantly recognized it as the elder Butler from the Romana villa. Turning around he looked back at the elder man and smiled.

"Yeah, sure Sebastian, I could use someone to talk to." Marlin answered with a tone of irritation still evident in his voice.

The gray haired man sat down and after ordering a glass of wine from Muffy he returned his attention to the pompadour haired man sitting across from him. "So what seems to be the problem my friend? You seem rather upset about something."

"Yeah, well you've probably heard by now, that stupid farmer boy went and married that witch!" Marlin exclaimed. "What's worse is that idiot of a Mayor over in Mineral Town won't do anything about it!"

A sigh escaped Sebastian's lips. "Yes, I'm aware of the fact that they were wed. Lady Lumina was talking about it with Miss Muffy the other day. But, did you really approach Mayor Thomas about having their marriage annulled?"

"Yes, that's what I said. But that old fool will do nothing!" Marlin retorted.

"I see," the butler replied. "It seems that there is nothing more that can be done with this matter but to accept it as is." He added plainly.

"No way, I'm just gonna accept that!" Marlin shouted angrily. His outburst earned him stares from the bars other patrons.

"Hey, relax my friend," Sebastian said. "There is no need for you to loose you temper. That won't solve anything."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I just can't sit back and let this stand," Marlin said simply.

"Well, just consider the consequences of any actions you might take," Sebastian warned. "After all things really backfired on us last time."

"Yeah, I remember all too well, trust me," Marlin replied.

The two men remain in the bar for about an hour longer before deciding to head home. As they exited the drinking establishment Sebastian stopped his younger friend and looked at him in concern.

"You're not going to do anything stupid are you?" He asked in a concerned voice. "You have had a bit too much to drink, and I don't want you to go getting yourself into trouble by going over to Pallet Farm and causing trouble."

"Nah, you don't have to worry. I'm just going to go home. But mark my words, this isn't over yet!" Marlin answered sullenly. He turned and looked at the elder man. "Thanks for your concern though."

"Sure. It's no problem." Sebastian replied, extending his hand to Marlin.

Marlin accepted his friend's hand and gave it a quick shake. "See you later Sebastian." He said simply before turning and walking off towards Vesta's farm.

Sebastian watched as his friend walked off into the darkness before turning and heading back to Madame Romana's villa.

* * *

The day was like most on Pallet Farm. Jack was working in the fields, pulling weeds and watering the crops. Hikari stood nearby, watching her husband do what he loved to do.

Unbeknownst to them they were not alone. A short distance away a green haired woman hovered just above the ground. A sly grin appeared upon her face as she chanted a few words and pointed her fingers in the direction of the field Jack was currently laboring in.

A look of confusion filled the young farmer's face as he stood up and looked at the field. "I could have sworn I just weeded that section..." He said in a slightly confused voice. "But look, there are still so many of them!"

"Yeah, I see that." Hikari agreed. "I know you pulled the weeds from that area. I watched you do it."

"That's what I thought," Jack said as he scratched the back of his neck. He stepped around the growing crops and began to once again pull the weeds that threatened to take over.

"Um, Jack. I don't want to sound sarcastic, but didn't you just finish weeding over there?" Hikari asked curiously, pointing to the area Jack had just been standing.

The young farmer glanced up and looked over at the area his wife was pointing at. A look of surprise filled his face as he saw the area full of freshly sprouted weeds!

"What the hell is going on here?" He exclaimed in shock. "I know I just weeded that section!"

"I don't know," The blonde haired witch answered.

Jack looked over at his prankster wife and gave her an eye of suspicion. 'Is this one of your little jokes?"

"Nope, I'm not responsible for this." She answered. "Even if I wanted to play a prank on you, I can't control the growth of plants. Only my sister can do that."

"You mean Goddess Rin can cause weeds to grow at will?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yep, she has full control of plant life. She can cause all manner of plant life to grow, including weeds." Hikari explained.

Jack stood up and took a quick look around. "I don't see her anywhere around here."

"Well, she could be and just not be visible to you." The witch answered.

"I suppose." Jack replied. "Can you sense her presence here in the area?"

Hikari closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. "Yes, I can sense her presence over in the direction of the barn."

Jack looked over in the direction on the large red colored building. "Goddess Rin, are you doing this?"

A girlish giggle filled the air and a moment later a bright light fill the area. 'Tada, here I am!" She giggled, appearing before the surprised farmer and now annoyed witch. "Did you like my little prank? It was so funny to see your reaction to all those weeds!"

"Rin, since when do you pull pranks? That's my shtick!" Hikari said in an annoyed tone.

"Hee hee I just couldn't resist. After all, it was fun!" The green haired Goddess giggled. "I hope there are no hard feelings Jack." She added, giving him a sweet smile.

"Um, well…. I just I... "Jack stammered, looking back and forth between the Goddess and his wife.

"Of course he doesn't forgive you Rin! After all, you caused him to have to work twice as hard!"

"Yeah right, as if you've never done anything like that before my sister." Rin remarked.

"I um… well; I never did it to Jack." Hikari retorted.

"That's because he was your boyfriend." Rin giggled in reply.

Flustered Hikari simply waved her hand dismissively at her sister.

"Oh, but I've stayed far too long." Rin said. "Ta ta for now you two!" She said before poofing away.

"Argh, I'm glad she's gone." Hikari said plainly. "She's such an annoyance!"

"Well, at least I can finish my weeding without further interruption." Jack said as he returned to the task at hand.

"Yeah, that's for sure." The blonde replied. "I'd like to help you with that but, well…. I'm just not suited for manual labor. Now, if I could use a spell…"

"Nope, I've told you before; I'm going to make this farm a success without the use of magic." Jack replied.

"I know, it's just that sometimes, well… I feel a little useless." Hikari said softly.

Jack stood up and dusted off his hands. He walked out of the patch of vegetables and over to his wife. "Hikari, you are anything but useless! So don't say that."

"Thanks Jack, it's nice to hear you say things like that."

The brown haired farmer smiled and gave the blonde haired girl a quick hug and kiss before once again returning to his chores.

Hikari smiled and walked back up to the farmhouse. She was feeling a little under the weather, and figured that she'd make herself a quick tonic and maybe lie down a little.

After finally finishing his work, Jack put his tools away and headed up to the farmhouse. Walking inside he saw Hikari sleeping on the couch and quietly made his way into the kitchen to begin to prepare their dinner.

* * *

Several days passed since Marlin's visit with Mayor Thomas. Unfortunaly the passing days had done nothing for the pompadour haired young man. Finally, after having to listen to Celia talk about them at dinner, he decided to pay them a visit. He headed towards the Blue Bar to see if Sebastian was there, intent on having the elder man accompany him to Pallet Farm.

Walking into the valley's drinking establishment, Marlin scanned the tables, looking for Madame Romana's butler. He saw the elder man sitting at the end of the bar, chatting idly with the bar's bubbly blonde barmaid. As he approaches Muffy moves away from Sebastian and back towards Griffin at the opposite side on the large wooden bar.

"Hey Sebastian, I was going to pay that farmer a little visit to give him a piece of my mind. And I want you to come along to back me up in case he wants to start something," Marlin explained.

"I thought you were over this the other day," Sebastian replied. "Why do you what to go and stir things up once again?"

"Because I have to do this. I can't just sit back and say nothing." Marlin answered. "Now, are you coming or not?"

The elder man raised his glass and drained its contents. "I suppose I should. If not I'll just have to get you out of trouble later."

"Good. Let's head over there now." Marlin said as he turned to head back outside.

* * *

Back on Pallet Farm, Jack and Hikari had just finished eating their dinner. After helping Hikari to clear away the dishes the brown haired farmer headed over to the door to go outside. He needed to go over to the Inner Inn to pick up a package that Van had left for him there.

"I'll be back in about an hour Hikari." He said before opening the door and stepping out into the cool night air. Hikari waved to him from the window as he disappeared down the path towards town.

* * *

Marlin and Sebastian not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention head towards Pallet Farm along the path next to the Turtle Swamp. They then turn and walk along the path running next to Daryl's lab. It takes them a little longer than normal to arrive, but once they do Marlin doesn't hesitate to head right up to the house.

Hikari saw the two men approaching and knew that it was not a good thing. A sigh escaped her lips as she headed towards the door. She hadn't been feeling well for most of the week and today seemed to be a particularly bad day. Opening the door the blonde haired witch looked out at the two men standing in front of her.

Marlin saw Hikari and right away began to speak. "Where's Jack? I have a bone to pick with him."

"Yes, have him come out here and face us." Sebastian added.

"It's you two again. If you must know, Jack isn't here right now." Hikari replied.

"Oh really, what have you done to him? Did you take advantage of him and turn him into a frog or a cat?" Marlin retorted.

"I've done no such thing!" Hikari huffed angrily.

"Oh yeah, can you prove that you evil witch!" Marlin shouted.

"Of course I can! Jack just went over to the Inner Inn to pick up a package." Hikari shouted back.

"Well, how does that prove to us that you haven't turned him into a frog?" Sebastian questioned intently.

Frustrated, the blonde pointed her finger out into the farmyard. "Do either of you see any frogs around here?"

"Just because we can't see any doesn't mean that you didn't do it." Marlin retorted.

"How dare you!" Hikari snapped back. She could feel her stomach beginning to do somersaults and wanted this little conversation to end as soon as possible.

"Look out Marlin; she just might turn you into a frog as well." Sebastian added.

"I have no intention of doing that!" She responded.

Marlin began to move towards the door. "It doesn't matter! I'm going to escort you out of the valley myself!"

"There is no way I'm going anywhere! I'm married to Jack and this is my home now. And nothing you two can do will change that." Hikari informed.

"It's clear to me that you must have done something to Jack. That would explain why he married you!" Sebastian shouted.

"Yeah, you probably used some sort of a love potion on him." Marlin added.

"I've done nothing of the sort. Sure I gave him a potion, but that was a dream potion not a love potion. Jack's love for me came to him all on its own." Hikari fought back.

"I don't believe you, witch!" Marlin argued as he closed the distance between them. "Now come with me!"

"And as I said before, I'm not going anywhere!" Hikari shouted back. By this point she was really beginning to fell sick.

"Oh yes you are!" Marlin countered. "I will not allow you to have your way, especially with your supposed marriage to Jack!"

"So true my friend, so true." Sebastian added as he began to approach the farmhouse.

Hikari saw the men approaching and backed up a little, not really in the mood for any sort of a confrontation. 'Stay back!"

"Or what, you'll turn us into mice!" Sebastian retorted.

"No, no that would be much too good for you." The blonde replied. "Instead, I have something better in mind."

'Well we'll just have to prevent you from casting that spell!" Marlin said.

"I agree, come Marlin, it's time we rid the valley of this menace." Sebastian added as he followed Marlin towards the girl.

"That's it, you two leave me no choice." Hikari warned. She chanted a quick spell and aimed it towards the two men approaching her.

Sebastian stopped in his track as he saw Hikari preparing the spell. Marlin also saw the witch getting ready to cast the spell and tried to move to her quickly and stop her before she could cast it.

They are too late as Hikari finished the preparation and casts the spell. The next thing she saw was two ripe red tomatoes in place of Marlin and Sebastian.

Jack walked up a few minutes later and looked at the two large red vegetables sitting on the ground just outside the farmhouse. He looked at his wife and shook his head slowly. "Did you have to turn them into tomatoes? Do I have to even ask who they are?"

"If you must know, it was those two fools Sebastian and Marlin." She began to explain. "They came here and began to accuse me of turning you into a frog. They were also going to try and remove me from the valley."

"I see. But do you really think it was wise of you to have turned them into vegetables?" Jack asked curiously.

"They were really bugging me." Hikari began. "I warned them but they wouldn't go away!"

"That may be true. But how do you think Madame Romana and Vesta will react to this? I don't think they will take the news very lightly." Jack replied.

"Well there's nothing to worry about. The spell will wear off in a couple of hours and they will have to recollection of it." Hikari explained.

"In that case, I hope those two finally will learn their lesion about messing with you." Jack chuckled.

"I would hope so. But those foolish mortals never learn." Hikari replied.

A slightly hurt look crossed Jack's face. "Hey, I'm a mortal."

"Silly, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about those two." The blonde witch replied, pointing at the two tomatoes sitting in the farmyard.

"I doubt they will ever learn. Hey, maybe next time you could turn them into hermit crabs." Jack chuckled.

"Or perhaps I could do as one of them suggested and turn them into mice." Hikari giggled.

"Yeah, now that would be funny." Jack replied.

"Probably…." Hikari began but was cut off by a severe stomach cramp. Concerned Jack quickly moved over to her.

"Hikari, are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm fine… I've just been having some stomach problems." His wife answered. "I've tried potions, but they don't seem to help me."

"Well, I think you should go and see Dr. Hardy. After all, it could be something bad." Jack said in a concerned voice.

"You're right, I'll go tomorrow." She answered. "You will come with me, right?"

"Of course, I wouldn't expect you to go alone." Jack answered.

Hikari managed a small smile. "Thanks Jack."

The brown haired farmer nodded and looked at the clock, "It's getting late. We should get some sleep."

Hikari nods as well. "I agree. I think some rest would do me good anyway."

_And that's how this chapter will come to an end. Why is Hikari not feeling well? Find out in the next chapter! Please take a moment and let me know how you liked this with a review. Thank you! Ja ne. _


	16. The Hychi Clan is Reborn

_A huge shout out to all my readers for taking a look and to my reviewers __**Laney-chan, Cass The Homicidal Maniac, Moonlit Dreaming, Lemo, Trying To Breakaway, The Scarlet Sky, roxas-kh, Lupi Loop, Kelley 28, **__and __**DivineJudgment**__. Thank you for your support!_

_**Extra thanks to my friend Christy for letting me use her name.  
**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Nope still not mine! _

_**A/N:**__ This chapter picks up right where chapter 15 left off. _

_**Chapter 16: The Hychi Clan is Reborn**_

The following day broke to the rumble of thunder and the sound of rain falling. Jack sighed as he laid in bed for a few moments longer, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the farmhouse. He climbed out from underneath the warm comforter, careful not to wake his still sleeping wife. A smile crossed the young farmer's face as he dressed and headed out to begin his morning routine.

Hikari woke a short time later, her stomach once again in knots. The blonde witch rolled out of the bed and headed as quickly as she could to the bathroom. She reemerged holding her hand to her stomach. Worried she walked over and began to brew herself a cup of tea. She hoped that Jack would finish soon so that they could head over to the doctor's office. She had a feeling that she knew what the cause of her discomfort was, but she really wanted to hear it first before she'd allow herself to be happy.

Jack walked back into the farmhouse an hour later and found Hikari lying on the couch. He walked over and smiled. "Are you ready to go to see Dr. Hardy?" He asked curiously.

Hikari pushed herself to her feet and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she answered.

Jack smiled and reached out to take his wife's hand. "Don't worry; I'll be there with you," he told her, trying to reassure her.

"Thank you Jack, just knowing that you'll be there with me really helps me," she began. "After all, I've never had the need to see a doctor before."

A slight look of confusion filled the brown haired farmer's face. "What happened when you got sick?" ge asked. "I mean, do you even get sick?"

"Of course I can get sick," Hikari replied. "But I have tonics and potions to cure just about every ailment."

"Oh, I see," Jack replied. "But nothing seems to be helping with your stomach?"

"No, I don't seem to have a cure for what is troubling me," Hikari sighed softly. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Jack nodded in agreement and the two headed out of their farmhouse and into the rainy valley.

The walk only took 10 minutes but for Hikari it seemed to take forever. As they approached the doctor's office she paused. "I'm a little scared Jack. What if it's something serious?"

"That's why we're going to see the doctor. If it is something serious then we can get you cured," Jack answered.

With a nod Hikari and Jack stepped up and walked into the welcome warmth of Dr. Hardy's office.

A small gasp escaped Hikari's lips as a strange looking man walked out from the back room and over to where they were standing.

Dr. Hardy recognized Jack and greeted him cheerfully. He then looked over at Hikari and gave a gentle smile.

"How may I help you?" he asked in a seemingly friendly tone.

Hikari nodded and stepped out towards the man. "I've been having bad stomach pains and I've been throwing up a lot," she explained.

"I see. Please step into the examination room," he instructed. He then looked over at Jack. "You may wait over there." He added, pointing towards a row of chairs neatly placed along the wall. "This shouldn't take long."

Jack watched as Hikari and Dr. Hardy walk into the room and close the door behind them. He walked over to the chairs and after selecting a copy of Farmers Weekly, he sat down and waited.

As promised the examination didn't take very long at all. Jack stood up and quickly moved over to Hikari as she walked out of the room. The farmer looked between the doctor and his wife, waiting for some manner of an explanation.

"So what's wrong with me?" Hikari asked in a slightly worried tone.

The odd looking doctor chuckled a little. "There is no need to worry, you're not sick!"

"But if she's not sick then why does she have the stomach cramps and throws up all the time?" Jack questioned intently.

Dr. Hardy smiled once more. "It's a blessed event!" he said happily. He turned his gaze towards Hikari and smiled a little more. "Congratulations, you're going to be a mommy!"

At that moment, all the color rushed out of Jack's face. "Did you just say that Hikari is…."

"He said that I'm pregnant, Jack!" Hikari giggled. "I'm so happy!"

Jack quickly regained his composure and hugged Hikari happily. "I…, I can't believe it! I'm going to be a dad!"

Hikari placed her hand over her belly. "I'm going to be a mom, I can't believe it... I have so many preparations to make. Jack... Help."

A huge grin filled Jack's face as he leaned forward and kissed Hikari sweetly. "Don't worry; I'll be with you every step of the way!"

Hikari smiled and seemed to be relived by this. "It's so wonderful!"

"Congratulations you two! I'm very happy for you!" Hardy said. "I do want you to return in two weeks so that I can check on the baby's progress."

After thanking the doctor, Jack and Hikari return to their farm. There was much to prepare and seemingly little time to do it in.

* * *

Seasons had passed and the baby growing in Hikari's belly has gotten big.

She'd been feeling a little under the weather since earlier in the day and now it really seemed to be getting to her. Just before dinner she felt the first cramp. She excused herself and went to the bathroom. Inside, she tried to relax but the pains began to become more numerous.

"Hikari, are you alright?" Jack questioned in a worried tone.

"Jack, it's time!" She said, her voice echoing the pain she was feeling.

"It's… it's time?" Jack stammered. "OK, I'll go and get Dr. Hardy and Nina!" He looked curiously at his wife. "Can you walk? Maybe you can come with me."

Hikari gasped in pain. "I… I don't think so… I probably wouldn't get very far anyway."

"That's alright," Jack replied nervously as he helped his wife to lie down on the bed. "I'll be right back with Dr. Hardy and Nina."

Hikari nodded. "Thank you Jack…., please hurry!"

Jack hurried out of the farmhouse and quickly ran over to the doctor's office. After grabbing his medical bag, Dr. Hardy and Jack picked up Nina and headed back to the farm.

As soon as they get back to the farm, Dr. Hardy and Nina got right to work. Dr. Hardy started by giving the blonde haired witch a quick medical examination.

"The baby's just about here, just a little while longer," he explained as he looked over to Nina. "She's all ready for you."

The elder midwife nodded. "Thank you Dr. Hardy." She then looked over at an anxious looking Jack. "You wait over there until the baby is born," she instructed, pointing at the kitchen.

"Um, alright," Jack replied as he walked over to the kitchen. A sheepish look plastered on his face.

For the next couple of hours the sounds of Hikari in labor filled the farmhouse. Jack looked on nervously from the kitchen, waiting for any indication that his child had been born.

"_Just a little longer to go…"_

"_Ahhh…., it hurts!" _

"_Just a little more Hikari… you're almost there."_

"Don't worry Jack, everything is OK!" Nina shouted from the bedroom. "Hikari, remember to breath!"

"_Try hard, I can see the head!_

"_Kyaaa… Jack!' _

A coupe of moments later the cries of a newborn infant are finally heard.

"Is it over with?" Jack asked in a hopeful voice. "Am I a father yet?"

"It's a healthy and cute baby girl Jack! Hurry in here and give your wife her reward for working so hard," Nina called out.

Jack didn't need to be told twice and hurried from his place in the kitchen and into the bedroom. Once inside he moved over and sat down gently on the bed next to his wife and daughter.

"Look Jack, she's beautiful," Hikari said, sounding quite tired.

"She's so precious," Jack cooed softly.

"I've been at this many years but birth always amazes me," Dr. Hardy chirped happily.

A smile filled the blonde haired girl's face. "I never imagined this would ever happen! I can't believe it, I'm really a mother!"

"Yeah, and I never thought I'd ever be a fathe,." Jack added as he looked back to Hikari. "Do you have a name for her?"

"I've been having a bit of trouble deciding," Hikari replied. "Do you have a name for her?"

Jack nodded happily. "I'd like to name her after my longtime friend, Christina Marie."

"That's very pretty! I love that name," Hikari said with a smile. "You never mentioned her before. Do you still keep in touch with her?" the blonde inquired.

Jack nodded. "Yep, she and I have been friends for a long time. But I haven't seen her since I moved here."

"I see," Hikari said plainly. "Maybe you could invite her for a visit?"

"That's a good idea," Jack said with a smile.

"May I hold little Christy?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Of course you may," Hikari answered, gently handing the tiny child to her husband.

Jack carefully cradled his daughter, looking in wonderment at the tiny life snuggled warmly in a soft pink blanket. "She has your pretty eyes," He cooed happily.

After thanking and saying good-bye Dr. Hardy and Nina, Jack returned to the bedroom. Inside, he noticed that Hikari seemed to be on the verge of sleep. He tooks little Christy and placed her into the bassinet next to the bed. Jack helped Hikari to change into her violet sleeping gown. Once she's back in the bed Jack gently tucked the fluffy comforter around her.

After a quick check on his daughter, Jack readied himself for bed. Climbing in, he cuddled up next to Hikari and hugged her warmly. "You did an amazing job," he said happily. "I love you and little Christy so much!"

"I love you too Jack," Hikari said just before she yawned. "I'm sorry, I'm just so sleepy."

"That's alright," Jack replied. "You were great today, you deserve a nice rest."

Hikari nodded and placed her head back down on the pillow. Quickly she was sound asleep. Jack smiled as he placed his head down on his pillow, knowing that his daughter would be demanding their attention soon!

_Yeah, Hikari had a baby girl nyaa! I liked the way this chapter came out nyaa, and I hope you did too nyaa! Please take a moment and leave me a review. Till next time. Ja ne! _


	17. A Friend’s Explanation

_Thank you to the following for reading and reviewing the last chapter. __**Laney-chan, DivineJudgement, Moonlit Dreaming, Trying To Breakaway,**__ and __**roxas-kh. **__I really appreciate what you have to say! _

_**A/N:**__ Several of my readers were curious about Jack's friend Christy. So I thought I'd create this chapter to develop her and explain how she knows Jack._

_Thanks for your help Peach, you rock nyaa! _

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own it so don't sue me. _

_**Chapter 17: A Friend's Explanation **_

It's been about a month since the birth of their daughter Christy and for the most part Jack and Hikari couldn't be happier. There was one thing that was bothering Hikari though. While she loved the name Jack had given their daughter, she had become rather curious about the woman that she was named after.

She had asked Jack on several occasions to tell her about the girl and Jack had always done his best to try and answer Hikari's questions. But in spite of this the blonde remained ever curious. Finally after a bit of prodding, Hikari convinced Jack to call her and invite her to their farm. At first the brown haired man was reluctant to do this because he feared that Hikari might do something rash. After reassuring her husband that she would do nothing of the sort, Jack made the call.

--

One week has passed since that call was placed and Jack waited at the dock in Mineral Town for the ferry to arrive. A quick check of his watch told him that he shouldn't have to wait much longer.

"Excuse me, but are you waiting on the ferry?" a man's voice questioned from behind.

Jack turned around and found the source was an older man standing just to his right. "Yes I am. I'm picking a friend up who's supposed to be arriving on it," he answered.

"Ah, I see. I too am waiting on someone to arrive," the man responded. "I'm waiting for my son and his wife to be exact," he added with a tinge of excitement in his voice.

"That must be nice," Jack answered, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"It is!" The elder man said happily. "They left two weeks ago to go on vacation and I've missed them," he explained.

"Do you live here in Mineral Town?" Jack asked curiously.

"Oh no, I live over in Flowerbud Village," the man answered. A curious expression filled the man's face. "What about you, are you from these parts?"

Jack nodded. "Yes. I live in Forget Me Not Valley with my wife and newborn daughter."

"That sounds very nice," the older man replied.

Jack nodded and agreement and smiled as he noticed the ferry pulling into the dock.

"It was nice to chat with you," the man said as he headed towards the area where the passengers would soon be disembarking.

"Yes, it was," Jack said politely as he too headed towards the group of people now emerging from the vessel.

The brown haired farmer scanned the passengers, looking for the petite brunette he'd come to meet.

"Jack, I'm over here!" a woman's voice called out to him. Jack recognized the voice and headed quickly towards her.

"Christy, it's so nice to see you again!" he said happily as he headed towards the girl. "I hope your trip wasn't too bad."

The brunette smiled. "It's nice to see you again too Jack," she chirped. "What's it been, two years now?"

"Yeah, something like that I think," Jack answered.

"I thought so," Christy replied. "And to answer your question, my trip wasn't bad at all. The water was a little choppy but there was a nice sea breeze so I didn't mind."

Jack smiled. "That's good. If you're ready we can head back to the valley now."

Christy nodded and picked up her backpack and placed it over her shoulder. "I'm ready when you are. I've been really curious about your farm the whole trip. I've never been on a farm before. I'm also looking forward to meeting your wife and seeing your daughter. I must say I'm flattered that you named her after me."

Jack grinned happily. "Well, we've know each other for so long now, so when I needed a girl's name I thought about you. I hope you like the farm; I've put a lot of effort into its restoration. I know that Hikari is looking forward to meeting you as well."

"I'm sure you have," Christy replied. "I must say that everyone was pretty surprised when you left to become a farmer. I mean, no offence but you never really seemed like the farmer type. I'm really looking forward to meeting Hikari. From what you've told me about her, she seems like a very nice woman."

"Yeah, I kind of surprised myself with that," Jack added, his voice sounding a little sheepish. "But one thing I have to say, um Hikari is…. Um, well… let's just say that she's not your typical girl."

Christy gave the brown haired man next to her a reassuring smile. "Right, but I'm sure that it won't be a problem.

Jack sighed slightly. "I hope not. But just so you know in advance, Hikari is a witch. In fact, she's the Princess of her clan. I hope that her being a witch doesn't disturb you."

"A witch you say? Oh no, that doesn't bother me at all. Remember that new friend I told you about in my last letter?" Christy asked curiously.

Jack nodded. "Yep I remember. Maya is her name, right?"

"Yep, that's right," the brunette answered. "Well I just found out that she's a witch, so I don't mind at all!"

"Really, your new friend is a witch? I bet Hikari would be interested in that," Jack replied.

--

It took Jack and Christy the better part of the remainder of the day for them to reach the valley. Jack led his friend through town, showing her the various sights and introducing her to several of the residents along the way. Finally they arrive at the gate of Pallet Farm.

Christy smiled as she pushed the white colored wooden gate open. "So this is Pallet Farm."

"Yep, it may not seem like much but I'm proud of it," Jack responded happily. "So, are you ready to meet Hikari?"

The brunette nodded. "Yep, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Jack smiled and led the way up to the farmhouse. Once there he reached out and opened the door, allowing his friend to walk inside.

Hikari smiled as she walked over to the petite girl. "Welcome to our farm!" she said in a cheerful voice.

"Thank you!" Christy replied. "You must be Hikari."

"Yes. Jack has told me all about you. It's nice to finally meet you," The blonde haired witch said in a cheerful voice.

"It's nice to meet you too Hikari," Jack's friend replied.

After giving the brunette a few minutes to put her backpack in the spare room they paused for a few minutes in the kitchen.

"Do you want to see baby Christy?" Hikari asked Jack's friend curiously.

"I'd love to," The brown haired girl replied happily.

"While you two coo over the baby, I'm going to head out to the barn and tend to the animals." Jack informed as he headed towards the door. "That will give you a chance to get better acquainted as well."

"Alright Jack, see you later," Christy replied.

"Ok Jack," Hikari said giving her husband a wave. She then walked over to baby Christy's bassinet and gently lifted the infant out. She caressed the child's cheek softly before walking over to their guest. "I think she looks a lot like Jack. But he says she has my eyes," the witch cooed happily.

The brunette looked at the small child and smiled. "She does have your eyes. She's so cute!"

"Would you like to hold her?" Hikari asked curiously. "I just changed her diaper so there's no need to worry," she added with a giggle.

A smile lit up Christy's face. "Could I? That would be great!"

Hikari carefully handed the infant to Jack's friend. "She's a good baby," the witch said proudly. "Still, it's kind of hard for me to believe that I'm actually a mom."

"I'll bet it is," Christy chirped. "I think you are really lucky. Not just the fact that you're a mom, but that you are married to Jack. He's a good man."

"You're right about that," Hikari agreed. "He never judged me," she added before looking at the brown haired girl standing next to her. "Um, did Jack tell you about my… um, ah, talent?"

"You mean that you are a witch? Yes he told me. But I'm not bothered by that at all," Christy explained. "Where I'm living, I know a woman who is also a witch. In fact, she's a good friend of mine."

"Is that so? May I ask her name?" Hikari asked curiously.

"Of course. Her name is Maya," Christy answered plainly.

"Ah, I see," Hikari replied. "That name doesn't sound familiar to me though. Have you known her long?"

"Well, about a year I'd say," the brunette answered.

"Oh, I see," Hikari said. "Well I find it nice that you would befriend a witch. Most people seem to want to shun us. Jack was the first person here in the valley that saw me for what I am and not what they perceived me to be."

A look of understanding filled Christy's face. "Yeah, I know what you mean. My friend Maya is having the same problem. In fact, because of that she pretty much keeps to herself. But that causes many people to assume that she's up to something when in reality she's done nothing of the sort. I didn't think that is a very fair way of thinking. Everyone is assuming things about Maya without even having met her."

"It was the same way for me. But Jack was different though," Hikari added.

"Yeah, I'm sure," The brunette agreed as she gently rocked baby Christy in her arms. "Jack was always like that."

Curiosity filled the blonde haired witch's face. "If you don't mind me asking, how do you know Jack?"

Christy cleared her throat a little before she began to explain. "Well… I ran into some trouble with these kids teasing me. I had been told over and over that they only teased me because they were able to get a reaction out of me, but I couldn't help it. What they said to me really hurt me. I found a place to sit alone and began to cry… Jack saw me crying and became concerned. He asked me why I was crying and I told him. He offered me comfort and told me that I shouldn't listen to the hate filled words of stupid people. After he told me that I felt much better and for the first time I was able to ignore the teasing."

"Yep, that sounds like Jack all right," Hikari said with a smile. "He was always willing to stand up and defend me against the foolish beliefs of some of the people living here in the valley." A curious look crossed the witch's face. "Have you known him for a long time?"

Christy nodded. "We've known each other since we were teenagers."

"I see. Well it seems that both you and I are fortunate to know him," Hikari commented.

The brunette looked down as baby Christy began to squirm and cry slightly. "Aw, do you want your mommy?" She cooed before handing the infant back to Hikari.

"She might be getting hungry. Please excuse me for a moment while I go and feed her," Hikari explained. "In the meantime help yourself to a cold drink if you'd like."

Christy smiled and watched as the blonde disappeared into the bedroom. She walked over to the large white refrigerator and pulled the door open. To her delight she found several cans of cola waiting for her. _"Jack must have stocked up on this since he knows it's my favorite," _she mused to herself as she withdrew a can. After closing the refrigerator door she opened the can and took a couple of small sips. _"Hikari seems like a nice person. Why is it that some people have to think that way?"_ she pondered. _"It's the same for Maya… and I hate that!" _

Hikari returned 15 minutes later looking a bit flustered. "Well, she's fed and I put her down for her nap," she sighed. "I just don't know if she'll sleep or not. She was fussing when I left."

"That's alright. I understand if you have to get up and tend to her," Christy said in a sympathetic tone. "You know, I always loved the idea of magic. In fact there were times when I was a little girl that I would stand on my bed and pretend to have magical powers," Christy said happily. "But alas I'm just a mortal," she added. "I realize that I don't need magical powers anyway."

"Magic isn't all it's cracked up to be," Hikari said plainly. "It can get you into a lot of problems and cause you sorrow."

"Yeah, I'm sure that it can," Christy agreed.

"You seem like a nice person Christy; I hope that we can continue to be friends." Hikari said with a smile.

"I hope so too. Just because you're a witch doesn't mean anything," Christy answered as a thought occurred to her. _"Hm, Maya… and Hikari... I wonder." _

"Jack has told me the same thing," Hikari said. "I must say though, I was so surprised when he asked me to marry him."

"Well of course, that's only natural," Christy said with a grin. "I bet it was a nice surprise though," she added than suddenly a thoughtful expression filled her face.

A look of concern crossed the blonde haired witch's face. "Is there something on your mind Christy?"

A slightly embarrassed look fills the brunette's face. "Oh, um... yes there is. Forgive me, but Maya told me something a bit… well I don't like to think about it. But on occasion I do. She told me that a long time ago the Hychi clan was attacked and all but one of its members was killed," she explained. She looked over at Hikari and she noticed a look in the blonde haired girl's eyes. "Oh, did I say something wrong?" she added hastily.

Hikari remained silent and Christy was becoming concerned. "Hikari, is something wrong?"

"D… did you say that your friend knew of the Hychi clan?" Hikari asked carefully.

"Well yes… She told me that one day the Hychi clan was attacked by another clan and all of its members were killed. That is, all but one lone survivor who was out of the village at the time of the attack."

Hikari let out a long sigh. "Yes, I know exactly what she's talking about."

A look of shock crossed Christy's face as she realized what Hikari just said. "Oh… y... you were that one who survived?" She exclaimed. "I.. I'm so sorry for having brought it up. I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories," she added before lowering her head. _"I'm going to have to keep my mouth shut when I visit Maya next time." _

"Yes… I was the one who survived the attack on my clan." Hikari said softly. "But I've come to accept what happened that day. You see, with Christy's birth, I have begun the next generation of my clan," Hikari explained. "I have no problem with you telling your friend."

"It's a little more complicated then that," Christy began. "You see, Maya comes from the clan that opposed yours that day. She wasn't at all pleased with the prospect of attacking another clan and refused to take part. When the news began to spread that there was a survivor she told me that many in her clan began to search for her, but with no success. Not long after I met Maya she told me this, she says that even now there are those in her family that keep a sharp eye out for the surviving member of the Hychi clan. Maya said that her father wanted to see me when I returned from here, and I'm not sure why. It's not Maya that worries me, but her family."

"I see, so your friend is a member of the Huuga clan then," Hikari said plainly. "While I don't hold that against you for befriending her, I would appreciate it if you didn't reveal anything about me to them. What happened between our clans was a long time ago, and I don't wish to bring Jack or baby Christy into it if at all possible."

"I understand and I have no intention of saying that I ever met you," Christy explained. "If it helps to protect you, Jack, and your baby then I won't tell anyone, not even Maya."

"Thank you for your understanding, Christy. I really do appreciate that," Hikari said gratefully.

Christy nodded, but remained silent as she thought about things for a moment. _"I have to do whatever it takes to protect their secret, even if it means my life. This time it will be my turn to help Jack!" _

"Thanks again for understanding," Hikari said softly.

"No problem, you have my word on it," Christy said trying to sound as upbeat as possible.

"That's good," Hikari said as a small smile reappeared on her lips. "May I get you some tea? I have a special blend that Jack really likes."

"Sure, that might help us both to relax a bit," Christy answered.

"Alright, please excuse me while I go and prepare it," the blonde said as she stood and headed into the kitchen. She reemerged a short time later with two steaming mugs. She placed one down in front of Christy and one down for herself.

The witch took a sip and looked at the brunette sitting across from her. "Have you ever been on a farm before?"

Christy shook her head no. "Nope, this is my first time on one."

"I see. I'm like you. Before I met Jack I'd never stepped foot on a farm in my life. Growing things and nature, that's my sister's forte."

A confused look crossed the brunette's face. "You have a sister? I thought that you were the only one to survive the attack on your clan?"

"I was. Rin is my half sister. She's actually the… um…" Hikari began but stopped.

"Your sister is who?" Christy asked intently.

"Rin is the Goddess of the Harvest," Hikari answered directly. "That's why I said that she excels in the growing things department."

"So your sister is a Harvest Goddess. That's interesting. I didn't realize that you might have a sister," the brown haired girl commented.

"Well, you know how it's said that everyone has their opposite?" Hikari began. "Rin is my opposite. We were both born at the exact same moment in time."

"Oh, I see. Well that makes sense," Christy replied.

"I'm glad that you actually understand. Others that I've tried to explain that to only end up confused," Hikari added with a smile.

"Well Maya explained the concept to me once before so I'm kind of familiar with it," the brunette explained.

"I see," the witch said as she stood up. "Jack should be about done with the animals. I'm sure he'd love to show you around the farm a bit."

"I'm sure he would. Like I said I've never been on a farm before. But unfortunately I can't stay all that long. I mean… knowing what I know and all."

The witch gave her a smile. "I understand. After all, I wouldn't want any harm to come to you for your association with me. You can stay through dinner, right? I think Jack was planning on cooking something special for you."

"Sure. I can stay that long, no problem. I'll probably leave in the morning though. That will give Jack a chance to show me the farm," Christy replied.

--

That evening after a wonderfully prepared meal Jack suggested they go for a walk to help digest their food. While the idea of a walk appealed to Hikari, she declined saying that she would stay at home with the now sleeping baby.

"Are you sure you don't want to come as well Hikari?" Jack questioned curiously.

"No, it's best if I stay here with baby Christy in case she wakes up," the witch replied. "You two go ahead though"

"Are you sure you don't mind?" the brown haired farmer asked.

"Nope, I don't mind at all," Hikari answered. "Now go already."

With that Jack and Christy walked out of the farmhouse and moved in the direction of the Goddess pond.

"You are a lucky man Jack, you know that?" Christy began. "Hikari is a special girl, and I think you two make a wonderful couple."

Jack blushed a bit as he listened to his longtime friend. "Um, I'm glad that you think so." He stammered.

"Yep." The brunette said, giving her friend a smile. "I have to say though; I was a bit jealous when I heard that you had gotten married."

"Really? Why were you jealous?" Jack asked intently.

Christy sighed softly before giving her answer. "Because a part of me always saw you and I as husband and wife, that's why."

"I see," Jack replied.

"But don't worry Jack; I know that will never be. And I've accepted that," Christy reassured.

"That makes me feel better knowing that," Jack said with a smile. "You will always be a close friend, Christy."

"I know," the brunette replied as she glanced at her watch. "We should be getting back now. I want to be on the morning ferry after all."

"I wish you could stay longer." Jack sighed. "There is so much I'd like to show you here."

"Maybe I can come again another time and stay longer then," Christy said trying to sound as upbeat as she could.

"Yeah, that would be nice. I'm sure Hikari would love to see you again. And next time baby Christy will be bigger as well," Jack replied.

"Yep," the brunette replied simply.

The remainder of the walk back to the farmhouse was silent.

--

The following morning Jack and Hikari bid Christy a fond farewell. Jack offered to walk his friend back to Mineral Town but the petite brunette declined saying that there was no need.

After some more hugs and good-byes the visiting brunette departed Pallet Farm. Jack and Hikari both waved until she disappeared from sight. Then they walked back into their home to continue on with their life in the valley.

Christy leaned on the railing for a moment, and couldn't help sighing a bit. She had to admit, it felt good to let it off her chest like that. She had thought for a long time that she would end up as Jack's wife. She did feel slightly jealous, but she knew that it wouldn't happen when Jack left the town.

However, what she had learned about Hikari was making her nervous. She ended up with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, as she reminded herself that she would be seeing Maya's family soon. She didn't know the reason before, but she had a pretty good guess to what it was now.

_Wow, at first I imagined this as a relatively short chapter, but as you can see it's anything but! I hope everyone likes the way it came out and that it helps to explain Jack's friend Christy a little. Please let me know what you thought with a review. Till next time. Ja ne! _


	18. First Potions

_I'd like to thank the following for taking the time to read and review the last chapter, __**Laney-chan, DivineJudgment, smile-maker, Taylor Rendar, Moonlit Dreaming, **__and __**roxas-kh. **__I'm glad that you are enjoying my story and I hope you like the next chapter as well. _

_Extra thanks to __**Peach the Hedgehog**__ for her help in getting this done. _

_**Disclaimer:**__ Nope, not mine!_

_**A/N:**__ While it isn't necessary to understand the events in this chapter, I suggest you read __**Misunderstood: A Mortal's Little Secret**__ and __**Misunderstood: The Struggles to Keep a Secret **__from __**Peach the Hedgehog. **__These two stories better tell what happened to Jack's friend Christy once she returned back home at the end of chapter 17. _

_**Chapter 18: First Potions**_

It's been five years since Jack and Hikari had welcomed their daughter Christy into the world. Now Hikari was finding out that it's not as easy as she might have imagined to control the full of attitude little girl that baby Christy had become. In fact, there were times that she thought it was impossible!

Jack was happy to hear from his longtime friend Christy, learning that she had moved to Sunshine Island and had begun a new life with her husband Median.

"_Dear Jack,_

_I hope you are doing well…."_

Jack smiled to himself as he read the words written on the letter he held in his hands. It had been almost a full year since the last time he'd heard from his friend Christy.

"…_On a lighter note, I'm doing much better than I had. I don't regret meeting Median at all. And my son Jack is really cute. He's only three and yet he wants to try floating, just like his Father!"_

The brown haired farmer continued to read even as he turned and began to slowly walk back up towards the farmhouse.

"…_Maya is doing well too. While it took longer for them, she and Mark got married a couple months ago. The wedding was so beautiful! She moved into the farmhouse and told me just how different it is for her."_

The smile on his face widened as Jack read that things seemed to be going well for their friends.

"…_Well, I'll bet my son is getting impatient with me, so I better be going now. I miss you, Hikari and little Christy. Hope to see you again soon!_

_Your friend, always and forever_

_Christy."_

Having reached the door of the farmhouse he reached out and opened it. Walking inside he found Hikari and Christy sitting at the table. A small black cauldron was in front of them and there appeared to be the ingredients of some sort of potion lay next to the metal pot.

"Hey Hikari, I got a letter from Christy today!" Jack said happily as he walked over to the table and sat down.

"Really, how are they doing?" the blonde haired witch asked with interest.

"From what Christy wrote it sounds like things are going well for them!" Jack replied happily.

"That's good. It's nice to know that everything worked out in the end," Hikari said before turning her attention back to the book in front of her.

"Yep, it sure is," Jack added as he stood back up. "I'm going to head out to the barn for a little while. It looks like you are going to give Christy another lesson in potions so I'll leave you two alone."

"Thanks Jack," Hikari said with a wave. As she watched her husband disappear back out the door she turned her full attention to the blonde haired five year old girl sitting next to her.

"Did you just hear what I said about the red grass, Christy?" the elder woman asked.

"Huh, what was that Mommy?" the girl asked innocently. "Daddy interrupted you."

A sigh escaped Hikari's lips. "I was telling you about the reasons for not using the stems from the red grass plants. Can you remember why?"

A thoughtful look crossed the girl's face. "I don't know," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Geez, alright I'll tell you again," Hikari began. "If you use the stems your potion could explode!" she said, emphasizing the word explode. "Now, can you go and get me some cold water?"

"Yep, I sure can Mommy," Christy said as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. The younger witch returned a short time later and handed Hikari a pitcher full of cold water.

Hikari wasted no time and poured the liquid into the cauldron in front of them. She looked over at her daughter and smiled. "Now, just as I taught you, put the red grass into the water."

"Okay Mommy," the young blonde nodded and picked up the red grass.

Hikari watched intently as her daughter began to add the leaves of the plant. A smile crossed the elder witch's lips as it appeared that this time, things might go as planned. However, her smile faded quickly as she watched Christy toss the stems into the cauldron. "Um, Christy, what did I just tell you?"

A confused look filled the girl's face. "Um, about what Mommy?"

"What did I tell you about adding the red grass to the water?" Hikari replied trying not to sound exasperated.

"But I added the red grass to the water just like you said," Christy protested.

Hikari pointed to the stems of the plant floating on the surface. "What about the stems then?"

Christy peered into the caldron. "What about them, Mommy?"

Hikari shook her head. "I told you not to add them. Doing so can cause the potion to explode!"

"Oh yeah, you did say that," Christy giggled back. "I forgot."

The five year old thought for a moment about what her Mom had just told her, the word explode coming to the forefront of her young mind. Without saying a word she reached out, took hold of the cauldron and tossed it into Hikari's lap.

"Ah! Christy, what did you do that for?" the elder witch questioned as she stood up and wiped the mess from herself.

"Um, just because," Christy giggled back. "I didn't want it to explode on me."

Hikari smacked her forehead in frustration. "Come on sweetie, try and focus on making the potion."

A series of giggles let Hikari know that her daughter didn't seem to have her mind on potion making. "Well, it doesn't look like we're going to get this potion done today," the elder witch sighed.

A confused look filled the little girl's face. "Are you upset with me Mommy?" she asked in a soft voice.

Hikari shook her head side to side in reply. "No I'm not sweetie; I just want you to start to learn some simple potions, nothing more. After all, I was your age when my mom began to teach me how to make potions," she added calmly.

A surprised look filled the girl's face. "Really, you were Mommy?"

"Yes I was. But you seem distracted; you really need to pay attention to what I'm saying," Hikari replied. As she did she gasped. "Oh my, I'm starting to sound just like my Mother!

Christy giggled at Hikari. "Really, you sound like your Mommy? That's funny!"

"Somehow I don't see it as funny," the elder witch sighed.

Her Mother's comment caused the girl to stop giggling and a sad look appeared on her face.

Hikari immediately took notice of her daughter's change in mood. "Is something wrong dear?"

Christy looked up at Hikari and sighed. "No Mommy, it's just that you said it wasn't funny so…"

"No, no… what you said was funny, don't worry about it Christy," Hikari said in a reassuring voice. "Would you like to try to make the potion again?"

The smile returned to the girl's face as she nodded happily. "Sure Mommy, I'll pay more attention this time, I promise!"

"Alright then, can you get us some more water?" Hikari questioned curiously.

"Yep, I sure can!" the young girl replied before grabbing the water pitcher and heading towards the kitchen.

As Hikari waited for Christy to return the door opened and Jack walked inside. He smiled at his wife and walked over to her. "So, how are things going?"

"She's just like I was Jack. Now I know how my mom must have felt," Hikari replied, sighing at the end.

"I see. Well, I'm going to head over to the Supermarket in Mineral Town," he replied, giving his wife a smile as he watched Christy return with the water. "Good luck you two!" He added before turning and heading towards the door.

'Yeah, thanks Jack," Hikari said with a slightly sarcastic tone in her voice.

"Thanks Daddy!" Christy giggled and waved.

Once Jack had left the two witches returned their focus to the cauldron.

"So, do you remember what I said about adding the red grass?" Hikari questioned curiously.

Christy nodded, remembering her promise to pay attention. "Add the leaves but not the stems."

A smile filled Hikari's face as it seemed her daughter might actually have paid attention. "Perfect! Now go ahead and add the water after you add the leaves," she instructed carefully.

Carefully following her mom's instructions, Christy added the ingredients to the cauldron. After everything was added she stirred the mixture and looked over at her mom. "How was that?"

"That was perfect sweetie!" Hikari answered happily. "Now we just have to put this on the fire and let it simmer for a couple of hours. Then it will be finished."

"Why so long?" the girl questioned curiously.

"That's just how long it takes; some things just can't be rushed after all," Hikari answered as she placed the kettle over the fire. "Now watch this and I'll be right back."

Christy nodded her head. "Okay Mommy."

Leaving Christy, Hikari walked over to the kitchen, leaving the young girl alone for the time being. Christy sat down and watched as the liquid in the black kettle began to slowly boil.

As the concoction began to cook a bitterly, pungent aroma began to fill the area around the pot. Christy took notice of the smell, wrinkling her nose in displeasure.

"This stinks! I'm sure we have something here that would make it smell better," she commented before standing up and looking around.

Hikari retuned a short time later to find Christy sitting happily in front of the now boiling cauldron. But quickly she noticed that something was amiss. A sniff of the sweet smelling air confirmed it. She walked over to her daughter's side and looked at her.

"Christy, did you add something to the potion?" she questioned intently.

A sheepish look filled the girl's face. "Yes, I did Mommy. That potion smelled awful!"

Hikari sighed and shook her head. "What did you add this time?"

"I just added some Blue Magic flower to make it smell better," the five year old answered.

"Well that may have improved the smell but it ruined the potion," Hikari said sounding upset.

"I… I ruined it?" Christy replied sadly.

"Yes. Even if you don't like the smell, sometimes you have to endure it," the elder witch said plainly.

With tears brimming in her eyes Christy looked at Hikari. "I'm sorry Mommy. I didn't mean to ruin the potion."

"It's alright dear," Hikari said reassuringly. "I did something similar when I was your age too."

A small smile returned to the young girl's face. "So you're not mad at me?"

"Not really. But you really need to learn to follow instructions," Hikari said plainly.

"Okay Mommy," the girl replied, still sounding a little sad.

"So, let's try this one last time," the older witch suggested curiously.

"Okay!" Christy chirped, the smile returning to her face.

For the next 25 minutes the two witches went through the steps of making a third potion. This time when Hikari placed the kettle over the fire she gave her daughter a direct instruction.

"Now without adding anything, please watch this," she told her.

"Okay, I won't add anything," Christy replied, wrinkling her nose but crossing her heart.

"That's good. I'm going to go out to the barn for a little bit. Like I said, don't add anything!" Hikari instructed before heading towards the door.

"I won't Mommy." Christy said as she watched her mother walk away.

"That's good. I won't be long." Hikari said with a smile.

For what seemed like a long time to the young girl Christy watched the potion simmer in the pot. Even though the smell caused her to wrinkle her nose she knew she made a promise and she intended to keep it.

Hikari returned after 40 minutes and after a quick sniff of the bitter aroma she walked over to her daughter. "I'm glad you were a good sport about this," she said with a smile.

"Yeah well… I really don't like the smell Mommy," Christy replied.

The elder blonde took a sniff of the air again. "I don't like the smell either. Not that we have a choice though, that's just how this potion smells."

"I suppose so," Christy sighed.

The older blonde stirred the pot and smiled. "It's just about done." A giggle escaped her lips. "Want to have some fun with your dad?"

A wide smile filled the younger blonde's face. "Yeah, I would!"

"Well, if you did this potion right it will make him super sleepy," Hikari explained.

A slightly confused look filled the girl's expression. "Super sleepy? Does Daddy need a nap?"

As if on cue the sound of the front door opened and Jack walked in. A nervous expression filled his face as he saw the two witches looking at him.

"Um, what's up?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, he does look a little sleepy, don't you think?" Hikari asked her daughter.

Christy looked at her dad. "Yeah, he does."

"Well, this little potion of yours will make him fall right to sleep and have funny dreams," Hikari explained.

"He'll have funny dreams?" the young blonde asked.

"Yep, I gave him a potion similar to this once before and his reaction to it still makes me laugh," Hikari giggled playfully.

"I see! I wanna see too," Christy laughed.

"It's just about done," Hikari said as she stirred the cauldron. "Can you get me a bottle Christy?"

"Sure Mommy." The five year old replied before heading into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle for the potion.

After pouring some of the reddish colored liquid into the bottle the elder blonde handed it to the younger witch.

"Jack, can you come here for a minute?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah Daddy, come over here. We have a special surprise for you!" Christy chirped happily.

The brown haired farmer walked slowly over to where his wife and daughter waited for him. "What's up?"

"We have something for you to drink!" Christy giggled. "I helped make it."

"Um, you want me to drink something you two made. What is it?" Jack questioned in a slightly nervous voice.

His daughter simply handed him the bottle. "This!" She giggled

"It's nothing bad." Hikari explained. "It's just a simple dream potion, that's all."

Jack accepted the bottle from his daughter with slight hesitation. "Are you sure about this?"

"Just drink it Daddy!" Christy piped up sounding a little impatient. "Its fine, Mommy made absolutely sure I did it right."

"Alright, alright…" The brown haired farmer said as he placed the bottle to his lips. He lifted the bottle and quickly drained the contents. "Mmm…, that was yummy. But now I feel so sle…"

"Daddy is gong to take a nap and have funny dreams! Just like Mommy said," Christy giggled happily.

"Yep and you helped," Hikari said as she carried the now sleeping farmer over to the couch and laid him down.

Christy watched in amusement as Jack mumbled, smiled and laughed out loud in his sleep.

"Look Mommy, Daddy's laughing in his sleep!" the young witch said happily.

"That means you did it right." the elder witch said with a smile.

"Yay, I made my first potion!" Christy beamed proudly.

"Yes you did. Now aren't you glad you finally paid attention?" Hikari asked curiously.

"Yep I'm very happy!" Christy replied.

For the next 30 minutes both mother and daughter watched as Jack tossed, turned, giggled and laughed out loud. Finally the potion's effect began to wear off and Jack once again woke up.

The farmer opened his eyes and was met by Christy's smiling face looking back at him. Seeing his daughter so happy made it easy for the farmer to ignore the throbbing in his head. A headache induced as a result of the potion he'd been given.

…_And done! I liked the way this turned out and I hope everyone that reads it agrees. Please let me know your thoughts and feedback with a review. Thank you! Until next time, Ja ne! _


	19. Finding New Love

_Special thanks go out to __**shadowtiger21**__, and __**roxas-kh**__, for reviewing the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well. _

_Thanks for your continued help Christy! _

_**A/N:**__ This is the next to last chapter in this story. _

_**Chapter 19 Finding New Love **_

Time in Forget Me Not Valley seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Before you knew it 10 more years have passed on down the road. With its passing lives change and people mature. Or at least in some cases, grow older only in age.

* * *

15 year old Christy walked out of the gate of her family's farm and headed towards the center of town. The blonde haired girl sighed sadly as she approached the main road. Soon she would hear it again, the mean spirited teasing and the hate filled words, all because they considered her to be "different".

To her relief, the streets of the small community were all but empty. She walked as quickly as she could towards the Inner Inn. There she was to meet Van and pick up a package for her father. In the past Christy had enjoyed running little errands for her mom and dad. It gave her a sense of accomplishment each time she handed the package to its intended recipient. That was then, this was now.

Christy walked up to the Inn, opened the door and walked inside. She quickly headed up to the second floor and over to where a portly man stood.

Van recognized the blonde haired teen and gave her a smile. "Hello Christy. Have you come to pick up the package for your father?"

Christy attempted a small smile in return. "Yeah, has it come in yet?"

"I think it has, just give me a moment and I'll go and get it," he replied before heading off into another room.

Christy sighed and leaned on Van's desk. It seemed to take the large man forever to return. In his arms was a small box wrapped in brown paper. He smiled and handed the package to the girl in front of him..

"It just came in this morning," he informed her.

"Thank you," the blonde replied plainly. She tucked the package under her arm and after giving a small wave headed downstairs and back out into the street. She turned and began to head back towards the farm.

"Hey, half breed!" a girl's voice called out. "What are you doing outside? There isn't a full moon!"

Christy tried to ignore the taunting and quickened her pace. Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough to escape her tormenters.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" a slightly taller girl with fiery red hair shouted. "Don't try and ignore me!"

"Be careful Jewel or she'll turn you into a frog!" a boy with messy light brown hair advised as he stepped in front of the young witch, blocking her way.

"Get out of my way Kyle,." Christy growled. "I'm in no mood for your crap today."

The boy laughed dismissively. "Whatcha got there?" he questioned, pointing to the package in Christy's hands.

"Yeah, what is that?" Jewel added as she walked up. "Is it some sort of magical powder or something?"

"It's for my dad and it's none of your business want it is!" Christy retorted as she tried to step around the two and continue on her way.

"I bet it's some kind of a potion," Kyle taunted.

"Yeah, I bet it would turn you into a frog if she were to put it on you," Jewel agreed.

"I said leave me alone!" Christy cried as she strained to hold back her tears. She knew that if she was to cry, it would just make matters worse.

"Let's make sure she can't use it on anyone!" Jewel shouted as she jumped towards Christy, knocking the box from the blond haired girl's hands.

The blond witch watched in horror as the package hit the ground; the sound of glass shattering filled the ears of the three teenagers.

Not quite satisfied that they had caused the witch enough trouble, Kyle stepped over and pushed the girl to the ground. Both he and Jewel laughed as the petite girl laid on the dusty path holding her ankle. Christy just buried her face in her chest, trying to keep them from seeing the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Come on Jewel; let's get out of here before she tires to cast a spell on us."

"Yeah, not that she even can," Jewel replied as she and Kyle began to walk away.

Christy kept her head held down until their departing footsteps no longer filled her ears. She looked over at the small box and carefully picked it up. As she did the sound of broken glass could be heard from inside.

An audible grimace escaped the girl's mouth as she stood. Pain spiked through her leg as she began to walk, slowly making her way back to her family's farm.

Hikari looked over as she heard the door to the farmhouse open, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw as her daughter entered the house.

"Christy, what happened to you?" the elder witch questioned, her voice filled with concern.

"Nothing happened mom," the young witch muttered as she limped over to the table and placed the package down. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I tripped and fell."

A wry look filled Hikari's face. "That's not what happened," she said plainly, looking at her daughter intently. "Why don't you tell me what really happened."

Christy looked up at her mom and sighed. "I never was a very good liar, was I?"

"Nope, you weren't," Hikari said as she took a seat across from her daughter. "So, what happened?"

"It was Jewel and Kyle. They were teasing me and Kyle pushed me down," Christy explained. "I think they broke whatever was in the box. Jewel pushed it out of my hands and it fell on the ground. I'm sorry mom…"

"It's alright dear," Hikari said as she got up and walked over to Christy and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"No it's not!" Christy shouted as fresh tears filled her crimson eyes. "It's not alright mom! It's not fair!"

Hikari knew just what her daughter was going through as she pulled the distraught girl into a hug. "I know, I've had to go through the same thing."

Jack's mood quickly changed as he opened the door and saw his wife and daughter in a hug and heard Christy's sobs.

"What happened?" he asked, walking over to them.

Hikari looked up at the brown haired farmer. "Christy was teased again today."

Jack sighed loudly. "Was it Jewel and Kyle again?" he questioned.

"Yeah, it was," Hikari answered.

"I see. I guess I'll have to go and talk to Marlin about Jewel and Nami about Kyle," he replied plainly. "I thought we had all this under control after the last time."

Christy looked up from her mother's shoulder and over to her dad. "I'm sorry, but I think your package got broken." She muttered softly. "Jewel made me drop it."

Jack reached over and picked up the box, giving it a gentle shake. The sound of broken glass confirmed that whatever was inside was likely broken. Jack reached into the pocket of his overalls and took out a small pocketknife. He opened the blade and used it to slice open the top of the box.

He closed the knife and returned it to the pocket of his overalls. He then reached inside and withdrew the remains of a small glass statue. It used to be a pair of dolphins swimming through the waves.

"Looks like I'll have to order a new one," he said, trying to sound upbeat.

"Was that for mom?" Christy questioned, more tears welling in the corners of her swollen eyes.

"Actually, it was for you," Jack answered sadly. "But don't worry, I'll order you another one."

Christy nodded her head and limped slowly to her room.

Hikari looked over at Jack. "I'll go and talk to her. After all, I know what it's like to be teased because of who I am."

Jack simply nodded and watched as Hikari headed towards Christy's room. He looked at the shattered remains of the glass sculpture. Placing it back into the box he set it down on the table and walked over to the phone to place a call.

* * *

The day of the Fireworks festival found Christy, Jack and Hikari in their farmhouse preparing to leave.

"Are you two about ready to go?" Jack asked curiously. "I have the drinks and the blanket."

"Yeah, just about…" Christy muttered softly.

"I'm all set," Hikari added, holding up a brown wicker picnic basket.

Christy looked at her parents and forced her face into a smile. Normally she enjoyed going to see the fireworks with her family. But something was truly bugging her this year.

"Come on, if we get there too late all the good places will already be taken," Hikari announced. "Are you alright Christy?" she asked noticing the depressed look on the girl's face.

Christy quickly shook her head, not wanting to burden her parents. "No, I'm fine mom."

Hikari looked at her daughter wryly. "Are you sure? You can talk to me about stuff you know."

"I'm fine mom, really…"

"Alright, if you say so," Hikari replied as the two headed towards the door.

Together they made their way to the beach. As they walked out onto the sand Jack looked over at Hikari and Christy. "OK ladies, pick us a good spot."

Christy looked among the people on the beach. She watched as certain people she knew paired up. This was normal for the fireworks... but she never got to do that with anyone else other than her family. And that hurt her deeply.

"Hey, that looks like a good spot over there," Hikari said, pointing to her left. "What do you think about that spot Christy?"

"Hm? Oh its okay, I guess." the younger girl replied.

Hikari gave her daughter a curious look but decided to let things go for now. "Alright, spread out the blanket here Jack."

"Alright," Jack replied as he reached into the basket and spread out a red and white checkered blanket. Hikari set the basket down in the center and Jack placed the cooler next to it.

"Have a seat Christy," Hikari said, patting a spot on the blanket next to her.

Christy was about to sit down when her eyes once again scanned the beach.

Jack noticed his daughter's gaze. "Are you looking for someone, sweetie?"

Christy shook her head sadly. "Not really... please excuse me," she answered before starting to walk off.

"Christy, where are you going? We were about to have a picnic." Hikari asked curiously.

"I'm sorry, mom. I just need to be alone right now," the young blonde answered.

"Are you sure you're alright? You seem troubled about something."

Christy sighed slightly but remained silent otherwise.

"Well, if you need some time alone to sort out your thoughts that's fine. Come back when you're hungry, I packed bologna and cheese sandwiches and I know those are your favorites!"

Christy gave her mother a nod. "Yeah, okay..." She then walked away to another part of the beach to be alone. It was just so hard for her. She was a witch, or at least a half witch, and this did not always do well for her. She knew that her mother had troubles before too. While she loved to spend time with her family, she would like to find people who would be willing to put that one little difference aside...

What Christy doesn't know is that she was being watched from a hidden spot.

As the young witch looked out at the vastness of the open ocean she felt tears come to her eyes. She tried to resist but soon realized that she couldn't help crying and sniffling.

Ryuu, the son of Muffy and Rock, saw that Christy was beginning to cry and carefully so he would not startle her, he stepped out of his hiding place and slowly approached the young witch.

Christy tried to wipe her eyes, but the tears didn't stop coming. Then she looked up, and noticed a face she didn't expect to see.

"Why are you crying, Christy?" the young man asked curiously.

"Ryuu? I... well..."

Ryuu looked at the girl intently. "Is this because of what Jewel and Kyle said about you?"

Christy nodded and sniffed a bit. "Well, maybe a little... but it's just... no one else ever wants to be close to me. I mean, yeah, some of the adults are more tolerable, but still... I..."

"Do you feel left out and lonely? I know the feeling believe it or not," he replied.

Christy gave him a look of surprise. "Y... you do? I didn't think that you knew."

Ryuu nodded. "Yeah, most people think that way. But truth is told I don't have any real friends. Sure people hang around with me, but it's only because they think they can eat at the Inn and drink at the bar for free. I feel used..." He looked over in the witch's direction. "But you... you don't."

"Of course I don't. That wouldn't be right. But, come to think of it..." She paused as she tried to wipe her eyes. "I can sort of see it now. I've seen the look on your face when others are around you. Most of the time, you don't look happy."

"Yeah, I mean I see the way they treat you. Just because they think you are... different. It doesn't give them the right! I've heard things as well, because my mom works in the bar," Ryuu explained.

Christy glanced over at the young man. "Really, wow... I didn't know you cared Ryuu..."

"I...I, well to be honest Christy... I um... I've always thought that you were a special girl."

Christy gave him a surprised look. "S… special?"

Ryuu flashed a smile. "Yes, special."

"Wow... I didn't know anyone would say that to me..."

"I'm sure, given what most people say to you. But... to me, all I see is a nice sweet girl," Ryuu said happily.

"Ryuu... thank you... you are so sweet," Christy said feeling her cheeks beginning to warm up. "Ryuu... maybe you would like to watch the fireworks with me?"

A blush filled Ryuu's cheeks. "May I? I'd really enjoy that."

"Of course, I'd like that a lot."

Ryuu smiled a little more. "See, I knew I was right about you."

Together they walked back to the main part of the beach and Ryuu pointed to a spot near the dock. "How about here?"

Christy was about to agree when her tummy rumbled loudly. "Oh, I just remembered, my mom made a picnic... and I'm starting to get hungry too"

The young witch gave Ryuu a smile as his stomach also gurgled. "You sound hungry yourself."

Ryuu blushed slightly. "Yeah, I was supposed to eat at the snack shack but I just didn't have an appetite, until now that is!"

"Well, how about we go over to where my mom and dad are, at least to get something to eat"

Ryuu blushed once again. "You don't think they'll mind?"

"I'm sure it will be fine. Don't worry!"

Ryuu gave the blond haired girl a smile. "In that case I'd be happy to join you!"

Christy felt a smile happily appear on her face. It seemed that her day had finally turned around.

Hikari noticed Christy and Ryuu approaching and turned to her husband. "Hey Jack, take a look!"

Jack looked over at the two young people walking towards them and smiled.

Christy gave her mom a grin. "Mom, dad... can Ryuu have some of the food we brought?"

Jack gave his daughter a smile. "Of course he can."

Hikari smiled as well. "Of course, please have a seat."

"Thank you!" Ryuu replied as he watched Christy sit down. He moved over and took a seat beside her.

Christy appeared to be in a brighter mood, and she had every right to be. She didn't know that Ryuu cared for her.

Hikari opened the basket and handed Christy two sandwiches. "Give one to Ryuu."

Ryuu gave the girl a curious look. "What kind of sandwich is that?"

Christy handed one of the sandwiches over. "Its simple bologna and cheese, it's my favorite."

"Really? I like that as well."

Christy smiled happily as Ryuu accepted the sandwich. As she started to eat she heard a sound. "Look, the fireworks have begun!"

Ryuu gave the blonde next to him a smile. "Wow, it's so cool!" he said as he watched as the fireworks exploded, reflecting in Christy's pretty crimson eyes. "So pretty..."

Christy blushed suddenly, not sure if he was referring to the fireworks, her, or a little of both.

_And so another chapter comes to an end. I liked the way this turned out and I hope that everyone liked it as well. Please take a moment and let me know with a review. Until next time, Ja ne! _


	20. Sisters

_A big thank you to __**Laney-chan, Moonlit Dreaming, Kelley28, **__and __**roxas-kh **__for their reviews of the last chapter! I really appreciate hearing what you have to say. _

_**A/N:**__ Even though I said last time that this would be the final chapter, I was hit with another idea. I hope everyone enjoys this! _

_**Thanks as always Christy! **_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Harvest Moon, Natsume and Marvelous Interactive do. _

_**Chapter 20: Sisters**_

The warm sun filtered through the window of the farmhouse as Hikari finished up making one of her lizard cakes. She smiled and placed the confection on the counter and took a step back. She laughed softly to herself as she remembered the first time Jack had tried it. After making sure it was finished she decided to head out to find some red grass for a potion she wanted to make.

After checking the fields around their farm, the blonde haired witch headed in the direction of the Goddess Pond. A quick look around and she found several of the plants she was looking for. After picking the poisonous plants and placing them into a pouch she walked over to the shimmering pool, pausing there for a moment before calling out her sister's name.

"Hey! Hey, Rin are you in there?"

There was a brilliant flash of light as the Goddess of the Harvest "poofed" out of her pond. "Tadaa, here I am!" she chirped happily looking over at her visitor. "Why Hikari, what brings you here?"

The witch looked at her sister. "I was just looking for some red grass and thought I'd stop by!"

The green haired Goddess gave her sister a curious look. "You were looking for some red grass you say? What do you need such awful grass for?"

Hikari grinned back. "I want it to make a certain potion out of it, of course. Something you'd know nothing about!"

The Harvest goddess nodded. "I see! You and your silly potions!" she remarked before giving the blond a curious look. "Say Hikari, what's it like to be married?"

Hikari was taken a bit aback by the question and it took her a moment to answer. "Well, that was certainly out of the blue Rin," she replied. "It's actually quite different than I expected. Jack is defiantly something. For a mortal I mean."

Rin gave the witch an inquisitive look. "Really, in what way do you mean?"

Hikari thought about it for a few minutes. "Well, he was one of the first few humans to not find me scary. He was also willing to hang out with me and to help me with potions and stuff like that."

Rin nodded. "I see. Is it confusing?"

"It was at first, but now I think things are going well for us," Hikari answered. "And then to have Christy... she can be such a handful sometimes, especially when she was younger."

Rin smiled. "She is cute! I've noticed that these days she likes to come and visit my pond with a young man. Has she begun to learn your ways?"

Hikari nodded in reply. "She's been learning ever since she was small. She's actually getting pretty good at some of the simple potions and spells." The blond haired witch sighed softly. "But things are happening all over again, things that I don't like."

The Harvest Goddess gave her sister a curious look. "Oh, what sort of things?"

Hikari shook her head causing her long sandy blonde hair to momentarily cover her face. "First off, those idiotic mortals try to get me out of the valley, claiming that I was responsible for all their troubles. And now, there are some others that have begun to pick on my daughter."

"They tease her like you were teased when you first came here to the valley?"

Hikari nodded. "Yes, that's it exactly. It bothers me that even now; people can't accept us as we are."

Rin shook her head. "I would have thought that they would have learned by now! You are a jokester, but nothing you did was done to harm anyone."

Hikari sighed angrily. "Most mortals never learn."

Rin gave her sister a reassuring look. "I agree! In many ways it's the same thing with me. They toss all manner of junk and useless items into my pond thinking that they are proper offerings," she explained. "Then they ask for me to solve all their problems for them!"

A surprised look filled the Witch Princess' face. "Oh, really, I thought you enjoyed fixing the problems of you mortal followers!"

The green haired Goddess sighed. "I do. However, there is only so much that I can do for them. I cannot cure their illnesses for them nor can I heal their injuries! It hurts me deeply when someone makes such a request and I can't help them. It's worse if the request is to help a child."

Hikari nodded in understanding. "Oh, I get it. That really must be a difficult thing to have to deal with." A grin filled Hikari's face. "Then some of these mortals should come to me! After all, my magic is much stronger, so I should be able to fix the problems that you can't!"

Rin shook her head and laughed. "Sorry, but my powers are far superior to yours, my sister!"

Hikari clenched her fists. "My power is far greater than yours is!" she retorted loudly.

This response left the Harvest Goddess laughing loudly. "You haven't changed one bit! I thought that being married might take some of the fight out of you!"

Hikari snorted. "Yeah right, like that would ever happen!"

"So I see!" Rin retorted. "Care for a quick little challenge?"

The blonde witch grinned. "You know it! Bring it on!"

The Goddess gave her sister a curios look. "Do you really want to? I mean I've managed to defeat you in all your previous attempts, and this time will be no different!"

Hikari chuckled at the green haired girl's question. "I think you are sadly mistaken Rin, I've won on some of those attempts. And I thought I told you before that one of them was a tie!"

Rin huffed. "A tie you say? That's not how I remember it! Are you sure you're not in just in denial?"

"No way, how do you know that you're not the one in denial, Rin?"

The Goddess giggled. "Oh Hikari, I need not deny what I know is the truth! But I understand that you might confuse the facts. After all, you are a blonde!"

Hikari's face reddened. "Okay, that's it! You are really going to get it now!"

Rin smiled at her annoyed sister. "Oh? And what will you do to me? Bore me to death?"

"Oh? That's what I should say to you, Rin!"

The green haired girl gave the witch a surprised look. "Me, boring? Silly girl, I'm a Goddess! Nothing I do is boring!"

Hikari rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Give me a break! You do the same old entrance every time! Do you know how boring that gets? Not to mention the fact that it's really annoying!"

The Goddess pouted. "But I like my entrance! It's nice and no one but you seems to find it annoying!"

"Well do you really think any mortal is going to tell you that something you do is annoying?" Hikari replied. "You may like your entrance, but I don't! Why do you think you were turned to stone before? I was just going to use a spell on you so that you couldn't say 'Tadaa' ever again, and I messed up."

"I figured that's what happened! You never were known for your ability to do magic correctly!"

"Hey, that was only one mistake!" Hikari said defensively.

Rin shook her head. "Not really. Not only was I turned to stone, but when you tried to correct your first mistake, you sent me away!"

Hikari's face reddened in anger. "You make it sound like I can't do anything right! I did manage to send those 101 sprites of yours to help you didn't I? And that I did right!"

"Everyone gets lucky once in a while!"

"I've done more spells right than you give me credit for, and I can so prove it!" Hikari retorted in an annoyed voice.

"What, you can show me the stones?" Rin asked sarcastically.

"I can prove it, right here, right now!"

Rin gave the blonde a curious look. "Do you want to turn me to stone once again?" she asked. "Of course, I won't just stand here and let you this time!"

"That is not my intention, Rin. Just wait and see what I will do!"

The Goddess cringed playfully. "Shall I back up and give you some room?

Hikari gave her sister a smile. "All I have to tell you is to be prepared!" She grinned a little more. It had been a long time since they did this.

Rin gave her sibling a curious look. "I'm waiting!"

The blonde haired witch started to chant, her smile firmly in place as she did.

"Be careful Hikari," Rin warned playfully.

Hikari glared back at the annoying Goddess, like she needed to be told that. She finished chanting the spell and clapped her hands. A flash of light followed immediately afterwards.

Rin shielded her eyes from the glare and waited curiously to see the results of her sister's spell. To her surprise, she felt something materialize in her hands.

Rin opened her eyes and looked at the strawberries that were now in her hands. She glanced over at Hikari. "Are these for me?"

"Well of course they are. Who else would they be for?"

"Well, they could be for you of course!" the Goddess replied.

Hikari shook her head. "Since when do I like strawberries? I know they're a favorite of yours though. So just take them already."

Rin gave her sister a smile. "I... I don't know what to say Hikari!"

"Yeah, well... don't go spreading this around. I have a reputation to keep you know."

Rin gave the witch an understanding nod. "Your secret's safe with me!" she said before eating a strawberry. "Mmm, these are really good! But now I have to summon something in return," she remarked, a curious look filled her face. "What would you like?"

"Well... to be honest, watching you eat is making me hungry. So I would like some rainbow curry. Can you do that?"

Rin shook her head. "I can't do that and you know it! You know that all I can control is nature!"

Hikari smiled back. "I know that. But rainbow curry is made out of many colored grasses and that's part of nature is it not?"

The Goddess agreed. "Indeed. I can help the grasses to grow and all. But what's done with them after that? I've never prepared a meal before in my life and I have no idea what to do?"

"Well of course. You have being cooped up in your pond all day! I'll tell you what, you give me the grasses and I'll go home and prepare it myself."

"Why should I?"

Hikari sighed. "Well, I thought you were going to give me something for giving you those strawberries."

Rin gave her sister a curious look. "So you intend on using the grasses to prepare this curry dish?"

"Yep, that's right."

Rin laughed. "This I have to see!" She chanted a spell, which caused one of each of the needed grasses to appear at Hikari's feet. "There you go, sis!"

Hikari smiled and gathered them up. "Well, I guess I should say thanks!"

Rin nodded. "You're welcome!"

"Well, I'll go home and prepare the meal. It was actually sort of nice to see you... but don't you dare tell anyone I said that!"

Rin gave the blonde a look. "Will you return and show me the result of this?" she asked hopefully. She then gave the witch a smile. "Don't worry I don't want anyone knowing that I gave you something either. I don't want my reputation tarnished!"

Hikari gave her sister a smile. "If you like I suppose I could come back and show you."

"I would really like that!"

"Well, I'll be back soon then," Hikari said before heading off to prepare the food.

Rin watched her sibling disappear down the path. She smiled slightly, _"Maybe Hikari has softened up since being married." _Her smile widened and she disappeared back into her pond to wait for her to return.

_I liked how this chapter came out! I think it showed a lighter side to the rivalry between the Witch Princess and the Harvest Goddess. As always, please let me know what you thought in a review. See you next time, Ja ne! _


	21. Best Friends and Kitty Cats

_Thank you __**roxas-kh**__ and __**Wesley Helsing**__ for your reviews of the last chapter, I'm happy that you liked it and hope that this chapter is just as enjoyable. _

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Harvest Moon, Marvelous Interactive and Natsume do._

_**Chapter 21: Best Friends and Kitty Cats **_

The sun was just beginning to make its way towards the horizon as a petite blonde haired girl walked through the gate of her family's farm. She trudged her way up to the door and paused there for a moment. She did her best to wipe the tears from her crimson eyes before reaching out and opening the door.

Once inside she looked down at the dirt covered book in her left hand. As she did she could feel more hot tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Once again she used her hand to wipe the streams of water from her cheeks.

Hikari heard her daughter enter the house and walked out of the bedroom. She sighed when she saw her daughter in tears, knowing the reason why. A concerned look filled the elder witch's face as she approached the girl. "Christy, what happened?"

Christy looked up from the book. "Mom… I…"

Hikari nodded in understanding. "You don't have to say... it was Jewel and Kyle again wasn't it?" she said while shaking her head. "It seems as though I'm going to have to take action!"

Christy looked at her mom curiously. "Mom... what would that do? It's because I'm a witch that I get teased! And now Ryuu... he..."

An alarmed look filled Hikari's face. "What happened to Ryuu?"

Christy sighed softly. "Because we are together... and he has stuck up for me... he's getting teased too..." she answered as fresh tears threatened to spill forth.

An angry look replaced the alarmed look on the elder witch's face. "This has got to end!" she said loudly. She paused for a moment and grinned. "I remember what I did to Marlin and Sebastian when they wouldn't leave me alone!"

The young witch smiled lightly. "I... think I remember.... you said that you turned them into giant tomatoes. And they had to stay that way until the spell wore off, right mom?"

Hikari returned the smile and nodded. "Yep and it was so funny to see them like that! Of course, your father was less than happy about it. He was afraid of the repercussions of it."

Christy smiled a little more. "I see..."

Hikari looked at her daughter and grinned. "Now don't go thinking that you can turn Jewel into some sort of oversized vegetable, because I'm not going to tell you how."

Christy shook her head. "Now why would I do that?" she questioned as she wiped her eyes.

Hikari smiled slyly. "Because you're my daughter and I know you! However, there might be something that we can do together."

The younger witch looked at her mom curiously. "You and me… do something together?" she asked curiously. "What are we going to do?"

Hikari shook her head. "I'm not sure right now, but let me give it some thought and I'll come up with something good!"

Christy was about to say something when the sound of someone knocking on the farmhouse door caught their attention.

"Can you get that Christy?"

Christy nodded and stood up. "Okay, Mom." She walked over to the front door and opened it up. A smile lit up the girl's face when she saw who it was.

Standing in front of the door with one hand behind his back was Christy's friend Ryuu. He gave the blonde haired girl in front of him a worried look. "Hi Christy. I heard about what Jewel did and I came over to make sure you're alright."

Christy smiled back. "Ryuu... yeah, I'm okay. Thank you for wanting to check up on me," she replied warmly. "But because of me, you are also getting teased now too," she added in a concerned tone.

Ryuu returned Christy's smile and shook his head. "That's alright, I just ignore them anyway." He smiled and took out a Moondrop flower from behind his back and handed it to the girl in front of him. "I brought this for you." he said, as he blushed brightly.

Christy smiled as she felt her cheeks warming up as well. She reached out and accepted the flower. "Oh, thank you, Ryuu! It's lovely!"

Ryuu smiled back. "I'm glad you like it!" he replied. "I was curious; would you like to go for a short walk?"

An unsure look filled Christy's face. "I don't know... I just got back and... I don't want to... be seen by them right now."

Ryuu smiled and gave the young witch an understanding smile. "That's alright, I understand. Maybe we can go tomorrow. I heard that Jewel and her friends were going to Mineral Town for the day so they wouldn't be around to bother us."

Christy returned the young man's smile. "Yes I'd like that. A walk sounds nice."

"OK, I'll stop by tomorrow and pick you up, does mid-morning sound alright to you?"

"That will be fine," Christy answered cheerfully, her mood improving with each moment she spent with Ryuu.

"See you then!" he said with a smile. He waved at her before turning towards the farm's gate.

"See you later, Ryuu!" the blonde haired witch replied as she returned his wave.

Hikari gave her daughter a curious look as she closed the door. "Was that Ryuu?"

The younger witch looked over at her mom and held up the Moondrop flower. "Yes, it was." She sighed happily.

"And what is that, may I ask?" the elder witch asked with a giggle, pointing to the flower in her daughter's hands.

Christy's cheeks filled with a deep crimson hue as she looked at the flower in her hands. "Oh... um... a present... Ryuu gave it to me."

"So I see," Hikari remarked with a smile. "Your father used to give me presents as well," She added, giving Christy a smile. "There was this one time, he wanted to give me some rainbow curry and... well, let's just say he wasn't expecting what came next!"

A look of intrigue filled Christy's face. "Really, what happened?"

"Well, he had asked me to meet him for a picnic and was waiting for me by Rin's pond," she began. "When I got there I saw him sitting on the blanket, and… well you know me, I'm always one for a little fun so I snuck up on him and using a little magic, I dropped a water balloon on his head!" She smiled happily at the thought. "You should have seen the look on his face, it was priceless!"

Christy giggled at what her mom was saying. "You did that? Wow! Did Dad get mad?"

"Oh he got mad alright!" Hikari answered as a blush filled her cheeks. "But after we ate... he..."

Christy gave her mom a curious look. "He… He did what?"

Hikari smiled at her daughter. "He proposed to me. I'll never forget that day."

Christy smiled. "I'm sure you wouldn't."

Hikari looked over to Christy and grinned. "I was thinking... What would really bother Jewel? And I think I have an idea," she said, giving Christy a wink. "But it's a hard spell and I'll need someone's help."

"Well... I would like to get back at her... what do you have in mind, Mom?" Christy asked curiously.

Hikari looked intently at Christy. "Jewel teases you because you're different, right? Well what if she suddenly became 'different'?"

A confused looked filled the younger witch's face. "Different? How different do you mean?"

Hikari grinned and said in a playful manner, "Meow!"

Christy's eyes widened as she realized what her mom meant. "Do you mean a cat?" she inquired. "You're going to turn Jewel into a cat? How perfect!"

"I happen to have it from a good source that she dislikes cats, so that will make things all that much better!"

The very thought of Jewel as a cat caused Christy to giggle.

Hikari walked over to a large bookshelf and after a little bit of looking removed a large spell book. "This book should have the correct spell in it," she told the younger witch setting the book down on the table.

Christy walked over to the table and looked at the book with interest.

Hikari opened the book. "Let me see, I know it's here somewhere...." she murmured while flipping through the pages. "Ah, here we go!"

Christy looked at the spell and smiled to herself. _"This was going to be good!"_

Hikari looked up at her daughter. "You'll need to learn part of this as well, since I can't complete the spell alone."

The younger witch nodded in reply. "No problem!"

Hikari smiled at her daughter. "Good!" She pointed out parts of the spell for her to learn. "Make sure you have them memorized!"

Christy nodded. "Right, because I know what happens if I mess up even one syllable."

"Yep, messing up would be bad!" Hikari remarked with a chuckle. "Jewel might end up as a tadpole!"

Christy giggled at the thought and began to look over the part that her mom told her memorize. It took a few attempts for her to get the words right, luckily it was only part of the spell so it didn't do anything on its own. After a few more tries she finally got it right.

The elder witch gave her daughter a smile. "That's good! Now I was thinking that we could cast the spell tomorrow evening when Jewel comes back from Mineral Town. That would give you all day to spend with Ryuu!"

Christy smiled and nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a plan to me!"

"Good, then that's what we will do!"

* * *

The following day broke warm and sunny. Christy had just finished her chores and was in the house when a knock was heard on the door. She smiled to herself. She knew who it was and goes to answer it. Sure enough, when she opened the wooden door, she found Ryuu standing on the other side.

"Hello Christy! How are you today?" Ryuu asked cheerfully.

"Hello there, Ryuu! I'm doing very well, thank you." The younger witch looked curious as she asked, "How about you?"

Ryuu smiled. "I'm doing alright. I was a little down this morning but now I'm feeling much better of course!"

Christy could feel her cheeks warming up as she blushed a little because she knew what he meant.

"I saw Jewel and her friends heading out of town earlier, how about that walk?" the young man asked hopefully.

"Okay, sure! Where do you want to go?"

Ryuu shrugged his shoulders. "I was thinking we could go to either the Goddess Pond or maybe the beach. Which would you like?"

"Let's go to the beach," Christy replied happily.

Ryuu grinned at the girl. "Okay!" As Christy stepped out of the house Ryuu reached carefully for her hand. "May I?"

The blonde haired witch smiled and held out her hand. "Of course you can Ryuu."

Ryuu smiled and took her hand in his. Together they headed towards the beach. As they walked along the bricked pathway, Christy looked up at Ryuu and smiled happily. It was so nice to know that there were people that didn't care she was a witch.

Ryuu noticed that she was looking at him. "You know, I feel badly that people judge you because you're a witch," he said, giving her a smile. "But to me, you are just a sweet girl!" he added as a blush filled his cheeks.

"Oh, Ryuu... I'm really happy you said that to me!"

Ryuu smiled. "I just wish Jewel would finally leave you alone!"

"Yeah... I hope so too, Ryuu."

Once they got to the beach the young man walked down to the waters edge. "Want to play in the water a little?"

Christy giggled a little and joined him. "Yeah, okay!"

Ryuu reached down and pulled off his shoes and rolled up his pants. He then stepped into the warm sea. "Ah, the water feels nice!"

Christy followed suite, removing her own shoes and stepping into the water. "Yes. It feels wonderful!"

Ryuu waded out a little further before turning and using his hands to splash some water at Christy.

Christy tried to dodge the attack but still ended up with it hitting her. "Hey!" she said and started splash him back. "Take that!'

Ryuu smiled and splashed some more. "So you want to play huh!"

"Who said witches can't have fun?" Christy said as she started splashing even more.

"Yep, but even though you're a girl, I'm not gonna let you off the hook easy!" the young man countered splashing the blonde haired girl back with both hands.

Christy stopped splashing and chanted a spell, causing a huge wave to wash over Ryuu. The young witch smiled to herself with pride. It took her a long time to get that spell right and now all her practice had paid off big time!

Ryuu was knocked off his feet by the wave and was now sitting in the water. He looked up at the still grinning witch. "Hey, using spells doesn't count!" he said with a smile.

Christy smiled back. "But it was fun though! And it's not like we're keeping score!"

Ryuu grinned and gave her a nod. "Nope, the only thing is, now we're both soaked!" he said as he stood back up and walked back onto the beach.

Christy giggled playfully and followed him out of the water. "Yep, we sure are."

Ryuu gave the girl a curious look. "You know a spell that can get me soaked. Do you know a spell that can dry us off?"

"I do, but I'm still working on it," the young witch confessed

"Oh, ok! I wouldn't want you to accidently turn me into a chicken!" Ryuu replied with a chuckle.

"Well, it would be an accident if that did happen," Christy replied as a blush crept into her cheeks. "I don't want to do anything bad to you, Ryuu."

Ryuu gave her a look of understanding. "I know you wouldn't Christy, I trust you. Anyway, I heard that Kai's Snack Shack has really some really tasty snow cones. Would you like one?"

Christy nodded happily. "Yeah, that would be great!"

"OK, what flavor would you like?"

Without thinking the blonde witch quickly answered. "I want vanilla of course."

Ryuu smiled and shook his head. "I should have guessed! Wait here and I'll get them!" He turned and headed over towards the snack shack.

Christy smiled happily as she watched Ryuu go to get the snow cones. _"He's such a sweet young man."_

Ryuu returned a short time later and handed over a vanilla flavored snow cone to Christy. "Kai's snow cones are so good!"

"Yep, I agree!" Christy agreed as she took a lick of her snow cone. "Mmm.... it tastes so good!"

"Want to walk to the end of the pier?" Ryuu asked curiously.

"I'd love to," Christy replied as she took another lick and smiled.

Together they walk onto the wooden dock and went all the way to the end. Once they got there, they sat down on the edge, hanging their legs off the end. "I love the sea breeze. It's so refreshing!" Ryuu said as he took a deep breath.

"Yeah... it is..." Christy agreed, the gentle sea breeze causing her long blonde hair to flutter.

"Um, may I ask you something Christy?" Ryuu asked sounding a little nervous.

"Sure. What is it?"

Ryuu gulped a bit. "I know this may seem like a silly question, but would you ever consider marrying a mortal?"

"Ryuu... I'm half mortal you know? And even if I was a full blooded witch, of course I would."

A sheepish look filled the young man's face. "That's good to know," he replied turning and staring off into the vastness of the ocean.

A curious look crosses the witches face. "Ryuu, is there something on your mind?"

Ryuu sighed. "Yeah, I suppose there is.... but I'm not sure how to deal with it."

"Ryuu, what is it? Can't you tell me?"

"It's... well, it's that.... you see…" he stammered nervously. "I really like you Christy and I was wondering if I could call you my girlfriend?"

A look of surprise filled the young witch's face. "Ryuu... are you trying to tell me... that you... love me?" she asked intently following it up with a smile. "Oh... Ryuu... I don't know what to say... except... yes."

Ryuu gave the pretty blonde haired girl sitting next to him a smile as a few tears formed in his eyes. "Yes Christy, I do love you! I'm so happy that you said yes!"

Christy smiled back as some tears of her own made their way down her cheeks. "I never imagined this would ever happen... especially with you," she said happily. "If I can be honest, Ryuu... I've liked you... no, loved you for a while now... I was just... afraid that you would reject me."

"How could I reject someone as sweet as you?" Ryuu asked as he reached out and pulled her into a gentle hug. After a moment he looked into her sparkling crimson eyes and leaned forward.

Christy saw Ryuu lean towards her and knew what he is doing. She smiled and also leaned towards the young man next to her. Ryuu closed his eyes as he felt Christy's soft lips press upon his own. And even though the kiss was brief, Ryuu felt as though at that moment his brain seemed to turn to mush.

Christy sighed as she experienced a similar feeling. When she pulled back she reached up and touched her head. "Whoa..."

Ryuu smiled happily then sighed. "We should be getting back, I'm not sure when Jewel and Kyle will be back, and I don't want this to be ruined by their shenanigans!"

Christy nodded. "Yep, I agree."

Ryuu stood up and helped Christy to her feet. Together they walked back to her farm. Once there he stopped and placed his arms around his girlfriend. "That was.... wow! I'm so happy that I was able to express my feelings to you."

Christy smiled back as she accepted the hug. "Yeah, I'm glad I was able tell you too."

"I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow," Ryuu said happily.

"And I'll be right here, waiting for you," Christy replied sweetly.

Ryuu smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you then!"

Christy blushed happily and waved as Ryuu walked away. Once he had walked through the gate, she headed over to the farmhouse and went inside.

Hikari sighed as her daughter walked inside. "My, my, it seems my little girl is growing up so fast!"

A look of embarrassment filled the younger witch's face as she looked over at her mom. "M... mom, you didn't…"

Hikari gave her an innocent look. "I just happened to be near the window, on accident mind you, when you came back with Ryuu... and I saw him kiss you!"

A deep crimson blush filled Christy's cheeks. "I... I see..."

Hikari gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; I think he's a nice boy," she said. Afterwards, she grinned slyly. "So are you ready for Operation Kitty Cat?"

Christy nodded. "Yep, I'm ready!"

"Good. They will likely be returning soon, so let's go! I figure we'll get her just as she reenters the valley!"

Christy gave her mom a grin. "That sounds good to me, mom!"

"OK, if you're ready, let's go!" Hikari said and began to chant a transportation spell to take them to the pathway at the edge of the valley. The two blondes found a spot behind some bushes and waited. It wasn't long before they could hear talking and a very distinct laugh coming their way.

"It sounds like we got here just in time!" Hikari whispered

Christy nodded. "Yeah, it sure sounds like it."

The two witches didn't have to wait long before Jewel and Kyle could be seen walking along the path. Oblivious to what awaited them, they head straight towards where the two waited.

"Wait until she's right in front of us," Hikari said softly.

"Right, I remember," Christy whispered back.

Not long later, Jewel and Kyle were in front of them and Hikari stood up and stepped around in front of them. Christy followed behind her mom. "Well, if it isn't Jewel and Kyle. Fancy meeting you out here!"

"Well, well, well. I didn't think I'd be seeing either of you two so soon," Jewel said sarcastically.

"Oh no? And why would that be?" the elder witch questioned.

"Because the last time we saw her, we made Christy cry," Kyle laughed. "She's like a little baby. I bet she hasn't even been potty trained!"

Christy tried to contain herself, but the hurtful words cut through her like a hot knife through butter.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're feeling very proud of that aren't you?" Hikari retorted.

"Yeah, well the 'little witch' there is just a huge crybaby," Jewel shot back. "We taunt the little brat all the time, and not once has she retaliated! Not even once, not even one little spell!"

"Well... that was true, Jewel..." Christy said slowly. "That is..."

"Until now…" Hikari finished. "Say Jewel, are you litter box trained?"

Jewel scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well... you're about to find out, Jewel!" Christy said as a smile appeared on her face.

"Hey, what are you two up to?" Kyle asked, a tone of concern evident in his voice.

Hikari gave the boy an evil grin. "Wait and find out!" She looked over at Christy. "Now Christy!" She began to chant.

"Uh, what's this?" Kyle asked nervously.

Christy nodded and began to chant as well.

"Well now, this is a first!" Jewel said sarcastically. "I don't think I've seen baby Christy chant like that!"

"Uh Jewel... I don't like this!" Kyle said stepping back a little. "I think they might be chanting a spell!"

Hikari chanted and pointed her hands towards Jewel. She gave Christy a nod and together they chanted the final part. Hikari clapped her hands causing a bright blue flash.

"Ah! I can't see!" Kyle shouted in surprise as he covered his eyes.

Once the dust settled Hikari gave a smile and looked down. There in the middle of the road where Jewel stood just a moment before was now a jet black cat. "Well now, Jewel. How does it feel to be different?"

Kyle looked at the cat in shock. "You... you turned Jewel in to a cat! But she hates cats!"

Jewel looked around and meowed in alarm.

Christy grinned. "We know she hates cats. That was the whole point of doing this to her."

A very concerned Kyle looked nervously at the two witches. "You... you're not gonna do something like that to me are you?" he asked in a scared voice. "I... I never meant to make Christy cry, honest I didn't!"

"But you did," Christy shot back. "You thought it was so funny to see me cry, didn't you? Did it make you feel somehow more powerful?"

Kyle looked back and forth nervously. "I… I'm really sorry about that. Please… don't do anything to me," he begged.

The elder witch looked over at Christy. "Well, what do you think Christy? Me personally I see him as a cute little mouse!"

"A... a mouse, no... Please don't turn me into a mouse!" the young man said in a frightened voice.

Christy understood why Kyle was so scared. If her mother had her way, and he became a mouse... there was a strong chance that Jewel might eat him! The tides had finally turned though. And yet, as she looked at the young man, she slowly began to realize something. And it didn't make her feel very good.

"Kyle, Jewel... you've always picked on me because I was different... because I'm a witch... but... though I was doing this to get back at you and teach you a lesson... In a way, if I go through with this, I'm no better than you."

Hikari smiled at her daughter. "I knew you would make the right choice Christy." She looked over at Kyle. "It looks like you're off the hook, for now! But I would suggest you and Miss Kitty think long and hard about teasing Christy any more, because the next time.... you may not be so lucky."

"Yeah, you got it!" Kyle said backing up a little more. "We'll leave you alone Christy!" He reached down and picked up Jewel in her cat form. "Are you going to change her back? Or will she have to stay like this?"

Christy nodded. "Yeah, we'll change her back... but you have to put her down first."

Kyle nodded and put Jewel back down and stepped back. Both witches chanted and reversed the spell, leaving a confused Jewel sitting in the middle of the road. Once Jewel realized that she was back to being human her eyes widened. She weakly managed to stand back up.

"Come on Jewel, let's get out of here!" Kyle said urgently.

Jewel looked over towards Kyle. "Y... yeah, okay."

Hikari laughed loudly. "Meow!"

Jewel shrunk back a little and quickly followed after Kyle without saying a word.

Christy looked curiously towards Hikari. "You did that on purpose, didn't you Mom? This was a test, wasn't it?"

The elder witch smiled at her daughter. "Yes it was. I wanted to see how you would react. And I'm happy to say, you did just as I thought you would!" she answered with a smile. "I would have left her as a cat and turned her friend into a mouse! But not you, you have too much of your father in you. Not that that's a bad thing mind you."

"I see. So it's safe to say I passed, huh?"

Hikari smiled. "Yep you sure did! I know that even if you are faced with a difficult situation, you won't abuse your magical abilities. Come on, let's go home."

Christy smiled happily. "Okay mom."

Together the two witches went back to Rose Farm satisfied that at least for the time being that Christy's troubles with Jewel's teasing were over.

_I liked how this chapter ended up once I got it fully written. I hope everyone enjoyed reading it and as always, please feel free to leave me your thoughts and comments in a review. Until next time, Ja ne! _


	22. A Question from the Heart

_**A/N:**__ I apologize for the extended delay in getting this chapter written and up. Around the time I started to write this, I lost a very dear friend of mine. It's only recently that I've been able to return to this story and give it the proper focus. _

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Harvest Moon. It belongs to Natsume and Marvelous Interactive. _

_**Chapter 22: A Question from the Heart**_

A very nervous Ryuu paced back and forth in front of the shimmering waters of the Goddess Pond. He looked up at the puffy white clouds that dotted the sky above him and smiled. Today was going to end one of two ways and that made the young man nervous. He stuck his right hand into his pocket and fiddled with a rectangular box. In that very box was something he hoped would make a certain blond haired girl very happy. He looked over at the pool of pristine water and smiled widely. It was the perfect day for this!

* * *

Christy walked slowly along the red bricked path that led to the Goddess Pond. Her mind wandered as she walked. "_Why had Ryuu had asked her to meet him there of all places?" _She kicked a small pebble and watched as it rolled off the path. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on and why he was being so secretive about the reason.

Earlier in the day she had finished work on the farm and accompanied her parents to the dock where they had left to travel to Sunny Island. They had planned on a nice visit with their friend Christy who was living there. It was this friend of her parents that she was named after.

With a sigh, she continued on her way.

* * *

Ryuu gulped nervously when he saw Christy come into view. He quickly attempted to smooth out his shirt and tried as best he could to hide just how terribly nervous he really was. As the witch made her way up to the pond, he took a deep breath and walked over to greet her. "Um... Hi Christy! I'm glad you could make it today."

The blond gave her friend a curious look. "What's wrong with you Ryuu? You look like you are about to faint and you're acting so nervous. Is there something wrong that I should be aware of?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that," he replied. Ryuu could feel his cheeks begin to burn as he blushed brightly. "Ah... um, I was just wondering about something is all."

By this point the girl's curiosity was piqued. "Is that so? About what if I may ask?"

Ryuu looked around nervously. He had practiced what to say so many times in the past days, yet at that very moment the words seemed to escape him. "Um, would you mind if we go for a short walk first?"

Christy eyed him wryly and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I suppose so…"

The young man let out a small sigh of momentary relief. "Thanks! I was thinking that we could walk down to the beach."

"Sure, that's fine with me," Christy replied as she reached out to take his hand. "You do plan on telling me what this is all about once we get there, don't you?"

Ryuu nodded and accepted her hand. "Yeah, once we get there…" With that they left the Goddess Pond and headed off in the direction of the beach.

As they passed the trees that lined the pathway, the girl looked up at the young man walking next to her. "So, is there anything you'd want to talk about on the way?"

Ryuu looked down at the green grass growing along the pathway. "Um… have you ever wondered what the future might be like?"

Christy gave her boyfriend a curious look. "What do you mean by the future?"

"You know… for us?" he replied as he turned his gaze to the half witch. "You know, what our future is going to be like."

The blond shrugged her slender shoulders. "I have no clue. But if you really want to know, I can ask mom to cast a spell so that we can see into the future," Christy answered. "I know that she can cast such a spell, but she's told me that it's very hard to do. Add to that it's not always very accurate."

Ryuu shook his head. "Nah thanks anyway for the offer. I'd rather not know in such a way, especially if it might not happen in the way we would like. To be perfectly honest, I would much rather experience life as it happens if you know what I mean."

The blond haired witch smiled. "Yeah, I think I do."

They arrived at the beach a few minutes later and walked out across the cool golden sand. After a bit they stopped and Christy turned to face her boyfriend.

"Okay Ryuu, we're at the beach. Now what was it that you want to ask me?"

Ryuu turned and faced the sparkling waters breaking gently on the shore. "The beach is so peaceful, don't you think?"

Christy sighed. "Yes it is. But I don't think that you asked me to meet you so that we could watch the waves. So stop stalling and get on with it."

The young man nodded. "Yeah, you're right," he answered as he turned back to face her.

Christy smiled back at him. "So, what's the big secret question?"

Ryuu gulped and took a deep breath. He reached carefully into his pocket and when he removed his hand it contained a rectangular burgundy colored box. Christy watched curiously as he removed the cover, revealing a beautiful deep blue colored feather. He carefully lifted the feather from the box and turned to Christy. He took another deep breath and dropped down to one knee. "Christy, you are the most amazing girl I have ever met in my entire life. I love you more than anything in this world." He took another deep lungful of the cool sea air and looked the girl deep in her glimmering crimson eyes. "Would you... would you please marry me?"

Christy gasped in surprise. Momentarily speechless she accepted the feather and with tears of happiness glistening in her eyes she looked down at the young man before her. "I… I can't believe this is really happening to me! It's like a wonderful dream come true!" With a big smile on her face she reached out and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh Ryuu, of course I'll marry you!"

Ryuu exhaled deeply and returned Christy's passion filled hug, tears of his own forming in his eyes. "Oh Christy thank you, you've just made me the happiest man in the world!" he exclaimed, pulling her tightly against himself. With a smile he placed a sweet kiss on her ruby red lips. "I love you so much and no matter what anyone might say, I know we are perfect for each other!"

"And I love you too Ryuu!" she said wiping her crimson eyes. "Y... you were one of the first people who didn't tease me about being a witch. It was as though you were able to look past that and see me for who I really am. "

"How could I ever possibly even think about teasing you? You are such a warm and wonderful girl! To be honest, the fact that you and your mom are witches never mattered to me at all!" he replied happily. "In fact your being a witch only makes you even more special in my eyes."

"I'm glad... I'm really glad that you feel that way about us," the blond said sweetly as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "You are so sweet, Ryuu!"

"You are too, my love! You are just as sweet as the sweetest sugar!"

Christy sniffled slightly as she wiped her eyes. "Wow, I can't wait to tell my parents the wonderful news! I bet they will be surprised!"

Ryuu gave the blond a concerned look. "Um… do you think your Mom and Dad will be mad at me?"

Christy smiled reassuringly. "I don't think so. I know for a fact that mom has nothing against you. And while my dad can be... well, rather overprotective of me sometimes, I doubt that he will stand in the way of us getting married."

Ryuu nodded. "I have to be honest, that does worry me a little. After all, he might think I'm trying to stealing his little girl away from him."

"Well, he just has to understand that I am not his little girl anymore."

Ryuu nodded. "I hope so. I don't want him to chase me off the farm with a sickle or something! "

Christy put her hand to her chin. "Hm... I wonder when they will be back anyway... they never did say when they were planning on returning. I hope Christy is doing okay."

Ryuu gave is fiancée a curious look. "Christy? I don't remember you ever mentioned her before, especially since she has the same name as you."

The blonde smiled. "Oh I haven't? Well she's a long time friend of my father. They used to be really close before he moved here to the valley. I'm named after her actually." She thought for a few moments. "I remember going to Sunny Island once..." she said with a giggle. "It was so funny when Uncle Median would call out '_Christy_' and both us would answer him!" Her expression then changed. "However, during that that particular visit, she took me aside and told me something pretty startling..."

Ryuu gave his future wife a curious look. "Oh? May I ask what she told you?"

The witch nodded and began. "Well... she told me that she is lucky to be alive. She said... there was a chance several years ago when I was still pretty young, that… well, that I could have been killed... my mom also."

"What?! How, why? Who in the world would want to kill you and your mom?"

Christy sighed. "She told me that she'd accidentally found out a secret... and that when someone found out she knew they tried to get her to tell what she knew. I'm not completely sure, but I think it has to do with a story my mother told me when I asked about my relatives. She told me how long ago her entire clan had been wiped out by a rival clan. It was descendants of that rival clan that wanted to know where we were. To keep a promise she'd made to my mom and dad, Christy nearly died in my place."

Ryuu gasped in astonishment. "Really, wow… um do you think there is still a possibility that they could still come after you?"

The blond haired witch nodded. "Sadly yes I think there still is a chance they could try and find us. But for now they don't know we're here. That said though, I think there is a possibility that they might go after the other Christy as well. But I'm certain our secret is safe with her."

The young man nodded slowly. "I see, still…"

"I understand your concern Ryuu. To be honest I am afraid of being found out as well. But Mom seems pretty confident that it will take quite some time before they ever do find us. After all, when Christy protected me, I was just a baby, so it's been many years and they haven't found me or mom yet."

"Well, even if they do find you... they would have to go through me first!" Ryuu said boldly.

"R... Ryuu! That's j... just like..." In her head, she hears a voice. _"If I was to be found now, I would never say where you are. They would have to go through me to get to you and your mother!"_ A look of surprise filled her face. "S... she said the same thing!"

"Who did?" He asked curiously.

"Christy did. I remember her saying that if she was ever found again that she wouldn't give us away. She said that they would have to go through her first."

Ryuu smiled. "I see. That's good to know."

Christy returned her future husband's smile. "Sorry for worrying you. My mind... sort of wandered a bit just then."

"That's alright. Let's not worry about things like that!"

Christy nodded. "I agree. Besides, now I have a wedding to think about and plan! When do you think would be a good time to have it?"

"I was thinking that we could have it just as soon as your mom and dad get back from Sunny Island."

Christy grinned happily. "Yep, right after we tell them about our engagement!"

Ryuu shuddered slightly. "I just hope that your mom doesn't turn me into a frog first!"

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about! Mom wouldn't do that to you," Christy giggled. "And even if she did, I know the spell to reverse it."

Ryuu smiled. "I was just kidding!"

The cute young witch smiled back. "I know, I know!"

Ryuu sighed happily. "I'm so happy you accepted my proposal! I was so nervous that for some reason that you wouldn't accept it."

Christy giggled. "Well, now I understand why you were being so secretive," she gave him a sweet smile. "You had nothing to worry about…"

"Well, I really wanted it to be a surprise to you!"

The witch smiled. "Yeah well, I know that now!" She sighed happily and looked at the glowing red horizon as the setting sun began to disappear below the horizon. "Let's head back to my home. Before she left Mom made a lizard cake and she said that we can each have a piece!"

Now under most circumstances mortals would have balked at the very idea of having something to do with anything called a lizard cake. However, from his past experiences Ryuu already knew that Hikari's lizard cake, despite the strange sounding name was actually quite good! He smiled and licked his lips. "That sounds like a good idea to me!"

Christy smiled and took the young man's hand. Together they walked across the sandy shore line and back up to the pathway that headed back towards her family's farm. Both wore happy expressions on their faces, very happy with the recent events of the day.


	23. No Longer Misunderstood

A/N: So here it is, the final chapter in this story! I'm so happy that I was able to create a story that so many readers have enjoyed. My only regret is that it's taken me so long to finally finish it. I do apologize for that.

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own anything related to Harvest Moon. I do own my OCs Christy and Ryuu. _

_**Chapter 23: No longer Misunderstood**_

A leaden gray sky obscured the distant horizon as a lone blond haired girl stood waiting on the dock. Her crimson eyes scanned dark froth filled ocean in front of her. She watched as a pair of seagulls struggled to remain aloft in the gusty storm driven winds. A light drizzle had begun to fall shortly after she'd arrived, darkening the wood of the dock and turning it slick. Christy shuffled her feet and pulled her dark blue shawl in around her, trying to defend herself from the damp chill that cut into her like a knife.

As time passed, the young witch was becoming steadily more impatient. She sighed and looked out at the ocean, hoping to catch sight of the approaching ferry but saw nothing but dark emptiness. By now the drizzle had become a cold steady rain. In an attempt to keep dry, Christy pulled out and opened a black colored umbrella and held it above herself. For the time being it appeared that the umbrella would do just that. She just hoped that the rain didn't increase in intensity. Her crimson eyes once again scanned the open ocean for the approaching vessel. _"I hope dad didn't get seasick,"_ she giggled to herself.

Finally a glimmer of hope could be seen in her eyes as the lights of the ferry appeared on the horizon. Christy watched as it fought through the swells, inching ever closer to its destination. A short time later the vessel had managed to maneuver into Forget Me Not Valley's small dock. A tired looking sailor jumped from the bow of the craft and swiftly tied it in place with a heavy rope. His feet slipped on the damp wood as he moved quickly back to the stern of the boat and secured it to a large wooden piling. Once the ship was secured, a gangway was lowered from the ships deck and the weary passengers began to disembark.

Jack stood up on weak legs and stumbled slightly as he headed towards the exit. His stomach felt upset and his head was spinning like a top as he followed the rest of the ships passengers towards the exit.

Hikari shook her head and sighed audibly as she helped her seasick husband towards the gangway. "Geez Jack, you should have used that motion sickness potion I offered before we left. It looks like it would have helped you a lot."

Jack nodded his throbbing head slowly, knowing that she was right. "Yeah, I suppose there is no arguing about that," he replied, sounding somewhat exhausted. "But I didn't think the seas would be that rough and normally I don't get seasick. One thing you can be sure of though, that I'll keep that in mind for next time."

Christy waved when she saw her mom and dad finally emerge for the ship's interior. Hikari smiled and waved back. A grin filled the younger witch's face as she watched as her mother helped her seasick father down the gangway and onto the rain soaked dock. She knew it would be a long time before her mom would let him live that down!

"Welcome back!" Christy chirped happily as she hurried over to her parents. Her cheerful look quickly changed to one of concern when she noticed the ashen look on her father's face. "Um, is dad going to be alright?"

"Yeah he'll be just fine. He just got a little seasick, that's all," Hikari answered. "Come on, let's get him home and I'll fix us all a nice meal and some of my special blend of tea."

Christy smiled and wrapped her arm around her father's midsection, helping her mom to support him as they made their way off of the dock and headed back towards their farm.

Ryuu sat nervously in his room. He listened to the sound the falling rain made as it fell on the roof. Slowly he stood up and walked over to the window and looked out at the wet landscape_. "I hope Christy's parents arrived alright."_

After a few minutes he turned away from the window and walked back over to his bed. Flopping down onto the soft comforter, his mind wandered back to the time he'd first met the blond haired half witch.

_It was a warm summer day in the valley and he had finished his chores early. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he decided to head down to the beach to enjoy the cool sea breeze. As he walked out onto the cool sand of the beach he noticed a new face, a young blond haired girl who appeared to be about his age. _

_He'd seen her briefly around town and there was something about her that caught his attention. Slowly he began to approach her, not really knowing what he would say once he got close enough to speak._

_Christy looked quickly over her shoulder. She had seen him as well, but she couldn't help looking away shyly as soon as she saw him begin to approach her._

_Once he was close enough he spoke. "Um... hello." _

_At first the young witch didn't reply. After all, it was rare that anyone let alone a boy talked to her. Finally, she summoned the courage to speak. "H... hello..." _

"_Um, are you here alone?" Ryuu asked softly._

_The blond shook her head and pointed to a man not far away. "No... I'm here with my father."_

_Ryuu sighed." I see. Well... um, I was wondering... ah, would you like a snow cone?"_

_Christy looked over shyly. "A… a snow cone, what's that?"_

_Ryuu smiled at the girl. "Yep, Kai makes the best snow cones around. Of course, I'll understand if you say no."_

_Christy smiled back "Actually... I'd like that."_

_Ryuu grinned happily. "Really... that's great!" A look of embarrassment suddenly filled his face. "I'm sorry, here I am inviting you for a snow cone and I haven't even introduced myself to you. My name is Ryuu."_

_The blond smiled nervously. But then again, she was shy when it came to meeting new people. "I... I'm Christy, I… it's nice to meet you."_

_Ryuu smiled happily. "It's nice to meet you Christy. Your dad looks familiar to me for some reason."_

_Christy returned the young man's smile. "Daddy runs the farm."_

"_I see..." A look of surprise filled his face when he realized what she'd said. "But isn't he the one who married the..." _

_Christy nodded a little. "Y... Yes…" She looked away a little bit at the thought of mentioning it._

"_I'm sorry..." Ryuu replied nervously. "I didn't want to sound mean. But now that I know for sure, it explains why you have red eyes," he added gulping a little. "Not that, it's bad or anything, I... um think they are pretty."_

_Christy smiled slightly. "T... thanks... You don't have to worry, I won't do anything bad. Really, I won't..."_

_Ryuu gave the girl a confused look. "Why would you?" _

"_Well... some people might think that way because of... well..."_

"_They think you'll do something bad because your mom is a witch? That's kind of silly if you ask me," Ryuu replied._

_A look of surprise filled the young girl's face. Did she just hear that?_

"_So, how about that snow cone, what flavor would you like? I think Kai has many different flavors to choose from."_

_Christy smiled a bit more. "I think... I'd like to have strawberry."_

_Ryuu returned her smile. "Alright, wait here and I'll go and get them for us." He walked over to the small wooden building that is the Snack Shack and ordered two snow cones, one strawberry and one rainbow flavored. After paying Kai, he returned to where Christy stood waiting and handed the strawberry flavored shaved ice treat to the blond in front of him. "Here you go. I hope you like it!"_

_Christy accepted the snow cone. "Thank you Ryuu, that was nice of you." She managed a smile and takes a lick of the sweet ice. "Mmm… this is yummy!" _

_Ryuu smiled happily. "I'm glad you like it! But may I ask why were you standing so far away from your dad?"_

_Christy smiled and took another lick from her snow cone. "Well, he is fishing and he looks so relaxed... I didn't want to bother him." _

"_That's nice of you. Um... would you maybe… want to go for a short walk on the beach?"_

_A broad smile filled the young witch's face. "Thank you Ryuu, I'd like that."_

_Ryuu returned the girls smile and together they began to head down the beach…_

Smiling the young man stood up and walked towards the door of his room. Today he would find out how Christy's parents would react to his asking their daughter's hand in marriage.

He stepped outside and after taking a moment to gather his courage, he headed towards Christy's families farm to face her mother and father.

Hikari finally emerged from the bedroom and headed over to the kitchen. There she began to prepare some water and the ingredients for her special blend of tea.

"How's dad doing?" Christy asked as she entered the small kitchen.

"He's resting in bed," Hikari replied. "I swear, sometimes that man can be so hard headed! I mean I told him that he would get sea sick."

The younger blond nodded. "I'm sure dad won't doubt you again, especially if it's storming out."

Hikari was about to respond when a knock on the door captured their attention.

"I'll get it mom!"

Christy walked over and opened the door. A smile filled her face when she saw Ryuu standing on the other side. "Are you here to talk to my parents about our engagement?

Ryuu nodded and gulped as he was invited into the farmhouse. Christy gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't be so nervous."

The young man gulped again. 'That's easy for you to say… You're not the one about to be turned into a tomato!"

"Who's going to be turned into a tomato?" Hikari asked as she approached the two, eyeing Ryuu wryly. "Why would anyone need to be turned to vegetables?"

"Um… well you see…" Ryuu spluttered.

"Ryuu asked me to marry him mom!"

"He did what?" Hikari replied sounding a little shocked. "I knew he had a crush on you, but marriage?" She looked at the young man standing just a few feet away. "Is this really true Ryuu?"

The young man nodded. "It is true, very true! I love Christy with all my heart and want to make her happy!"

"I see," the elder witch replied. "Well, there is only one thing I can do…" She gave the boy a look and before he had a chance to react, she embraced him in a warm hug! "I know that you will make my daughter happy, because if you don't, you will have to deal with me!"

Ryuu nodded and Christy smiled. "See, I told you that you had nothing to worry about."

"That's true. But I still have to face your dad."

Christy giggled. "Don't worry about that. Even if he were to get mad, he can't turn you into a vegetable!"

"No, but he does have that scythe… I prefer my limbs attached to my body you know."

Christy smiled at her soon to be husband. "Daddy won't do anything of the sort! If he did, I would never forgive him."

"Why don't you stay for dinner Ryuu?" Hikari asked curiously. "Jack is sleeping right now so you can tell him the good news then."

"Thank you that would be nice."

"Hey mom, Ryuu and I are going to take a walk until dinner."

The elder blond smiled. "Alright, dinner should be ready in an hour or so."

Ryuu followed Christy outside and breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm not a frog or a tomato!"

Christy punched him playfully in the arm. "See, I told you it would be alright."

"Yeah you did. But I still need to tell your dad."

"And just like when you told my mom, it will be fine," Christy replied. 'Come on, let's go to the beach and watch the sunset.

Later that evening as Ryuu joined Christy and her family for their evening meal, the focus seemed to center on the nervous young man.

"So, Hikari told me that you have something important to tell me Ryuu," Jack remarked as he set his fork down next to his now empty plate. "What would you like to tell me?"

Ryuu set his own fork down and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I would like… um," he paused a moment go gather his courage. "I would like to ask your permission to marry Christy."

Jack gave the young man a stern look. "You wish to marry my Christy?"

The young man nodded. "Yes sir, I do."

"I see," the farmer replied as he shifted his gaze to his daughter. "I think… I think that's great!"

Christy gave her fiancé a smile. "See, I told ya it would be fine!"

"So when is the wedding?" Hikari asked curiously. "And who do you plan on inviting?"

Christy gave her mother a grin. "I was thinking it could be a week from now and that we could have the ceremony right here on the farm."

Hikari smiled. "Just like you and I, Jack."

Jack smiled and stood up. "This happy moment calls for a celebration!" And with that he walked into the kitchen, returning a short time later with a bottle of Aja wine and four wine glasses. "I was given this bottle of wine when I first arrived here. I've saved it for just such a special occasion."

After distributing the glasses and pouring a small amount of the fragrant red wine into each, Jack raised his glass in a toast. "To Ryuu and Christy, may they have an enjoyable and prosperous life… together for the rest of their lives!"

Glasses were raised and toasted until the contents of the bottle were gone. It was a wonderful night that wouldn't soon be forgotten by the participants.

The following morning found Jack and Hikari sitting alone at the kitchen table. Hikari looked over at her husband and looked him in the eyes. "You know Jack, I was thinking about something."

"What's on your mind?"

"I was thinking about us Jack. I think it's time you thought about retiring from farming."

Jack gave his wife a slightly confused look. "But if I retire, who will run the farm?"

Hikari rolled her crimson eyes. "I was thinking that Ryuu and Christy could take over the farm. That would free you and I up to maybe take a nice long vacation!" She gave him a sly smile. "I know some pretty nice places to visit and I'm sure you would like them…"

Jack could feel his cheeks begin to warm as a blush crept onto his face. "That does sound nice. And I would like to spend some time with just you."

Hikari smiled. "So it's settled then. I was thinking we could tell them at the wedding."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Jack agreed with a nod of his head.

One week later the sun began to rise into a crystal clear blue sky. As it tracked its way higher into the sky over Forget Me Not Valley, work began to prepare for the wedding that would be taking place.

A nervous Christy sat on the edge of her bed; she fidgeted a little as her mother helped her to put on the dress she would wear for the most important day of her life.

Hikari stepped back. "Can you please stand up Christy? I need to make sure every aspect is perfect."

The younger witch did as she was asked. "Is this really the same dress you wore when you married dad?"

Hikari nodded. "That it is. It is the dress that I wore and that my mother before me wore. And now my dear, you will carry on that tradition."

Christy gave her mom a smile as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. "It's beautiful!"

Hikari smiled back at her daughter. "It is, and so are you. Ryuu is a lucky man."

Christy shook her head slowly. "I'm really the lucky one here. I never thought that I would be able to fall in love. But Ryuu… he saw past the fact that I was different. He saw me for who I am."

Outside Jack and Rock were busy hanging up the decorations and getting everything set up for the upcoming ceremony.

Mayor Thomas had made the trip from Mineral Town and arrived at the farm just before noon. He approached the door and knocked. Stepping back the portly man waited for the door to be answered.

Jack opened the door and greeted the Mayor of Mineral Town. "Good that you could make it Thomas," he said, extending his hand.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, just as I told you when I wed you I have distaste for this. However, I must put my personal beliefs to the side and act in my official capacity."

"I'm glad that you are able to do that for us," Jack replied. "Please do come in. We can begin the ceremony just as soon as you are ready."

The mayor of Mineral Town stepped into the home and headed right over to a table that was filled with lavish foods and an assortment of refreshments. "I just need to wet the whistle and we can get this underway."

Half an hour later Ryuu stood next to Mineral Town's Mayor, nervously waiting for his bride to walk out. He watched intently as the door to the farmhouse opened. First his mother and then Hikari walked out. Muffy was wearing a light blue dress and her blond hair was accented by a red flower. Hikari was dressed in a long black dress and her hair was drawn into two braids. They held the door open and Christy finally appeared. She was dressed in a black dress and like her mother; her hair had been placed into two braids. She had a tiara on her head and held a pure white rose.

As she approached an audible gasp escaped Ryuu's lips. Christy was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen! And soon she would join him as his beloved wife.

"Please join hands," Thomas said once the couple was standing next to each other. "We are gathered here to join together two souls in the bond of matrimony. Ryuu, do you take Christina to be your wife, to love and cherish her in good and bad times?"

Ryuu smiled happily and nodded. "I do."

The portly man then turned to face Christy. "Do you Christina take Ryuu to be your husband? To love and care for him in sickness and in health for richer and for poorer until the time you no longer walk among the living."

Christy nodded. "I do."

Thomas gave them a small smile. "Then by the powers vested in me I do by pronounce you to be husband and wife!" He gave Ryuu a wink. "You may kiss the bride."

And that's just what Ryuu did!

Applause rang out from those in attendance and the new couple waved in thanks. The first to step forward and congratulate the newlyweds was Muffy followed by Jack and Rock.

A short distance away a woman clad in a shimmering green dress floated in front of the Witch Princess.

"Congratulations Hikari, Christy will make Ryuu a very happy man."

The blond smiled. "Thank you Rin, I never thought I would see the day that you would complement me."

The Harvest Goddess grinned. "Oh, I'm not complimenting you my dear sister. I'm complementing Christy!"

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's just as I thought."

As night descended on the valley the party started to break up. After all of the guests had departed, Jack and Hikari approached the new couple.

"Christy, Ryuu, there is something we would like to tell you," Hikari began.

Jack nodded. "You see, I'm getting a bit too old to run this farm and I think it's time that a new owner took over."

Christy gave her father a confused look. "What do you mean; you're not going to sell the farm are you?"

Hikari gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "Of course not dear, what your father means is that you and Ryuu are going to be the new owners."

Ryuu's jaw dropped in surprise. "You… you are giving the farm to us?"

Jack grinned. "Yes we certainly are."

"Wow, this is… wow!" was all that Christy was able to say.

"So, from tomorrow morning on, this is your farm!" Hikari said with a smile. "Ready or not your father and I are leaving on vacation tonight."

Ryuu gave then a determined look. "Well I guess we will just have to do our best then, huh Christy!"

The younger witch smiled. "You go that right!"

"Good! Then I see no reason for us to hang around," Hikari said with a grin. She leaned forward and gave her daughter and new son in law a quick kiss. "Come on Jack, let's hit the road!" the witch added as she pulled her broom put of the air.

Jack smiled and climbed onto his wife's broom. "Good luck you two!" He gave them a smile. "Don't worry; you'll both be just fine!"

With that Ryuu and Christy watched as Jack and Hikari disappeared into the star filled night sky.

Ryuu took hold of his wife's hand. "Come on sweetie, it sounds like tomorrow we have a farm to run!"

Christy smiled and squeezed her husband's hand, happy that she and her mother were no longer misunderstood.

_And that's a wrap! I hope that in spite of the many delays, everyone can enjoy my story. _


End file.
